


The Picture in My Purse

by KiKi_the_Creator



Series: The Pictures in My Purse [1]
Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:06:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiKi_the_Creator/pseuds/KiKi_the_Creator
Summary: Allegra's journey through the Villa is far from perfect, with drama, friends, love, and hate all mixing together to create a devious concoction. Yet something - or rather, someone - can't seem to escape her thoughts. As time goes on, and more pieces fall into place, she realizes what's been causing her so much turmoil since her time on Love Island began.This is crazy long and a stupidly slow burn, so fair warning.
Relationships: Allegra/Main Character (Love Island)
Series: The Pictures in My Purse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861630
Comments: 17
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is my first fic, so any and all criticism is welcome! This chapter jumps back in the beginning, and covers Day 1 of the Villa, with most of the dialogue coming straight from the game and plenty of snarky thoughts from Allegra, too!

The picture in my purse. The girl that hates me. 

Though, I can’t really say I blame her, I treated her like shit. At every turn I insulted her, antagonized her, and tried to hurt her. I just couldn’t let her be happy. I couldn’t let her forget me, and I didn’t even know why.

But it was all for nothing. There’s not a doubt in my mind I’m the farthest thing from hers. And why shouldn’t I be? It’s not like she knows. _I_ didn’t even know until it was too late.

Yet for months I haven’t been able to stop staring at that picture. Her ecstatic smile splitting her perfect face. Her dark hair falling down her shoulders and across the top of the adorable dress that made my chest throb whenever I chanced a glance during the finale party.

I found that picture in a paper the next morning. I bookmarked the page - just in case. It was the only one without that jerk she won with. I printed it out about a week later when I was drunk and emotional and pissed at Miles and not sure what to do. And I’ve just never had the guts to throw it away. 

I’ve never had the guts to do anything. Not to accept the reason why my stomach flipped and knotted whenever she smiled. Not to tell her how her laugh made me dizzy. Not to tell Levi and Erikah off for everything they put her through without remorse. Not to tell Miles I don’t think I feel the same and that it’s infuriating how oblivious he is. Not to do anything that isn’t the easy way out.

So I don’t. I keep being the person everyone sees me as. The angry, bitter, jealous, possessive, and hostile girl I started as. I keep being the bitch from Love Island.

\---

I actually made it. I’m on Love Island. I’m spending the summer surrounded by cameras and hot, swimwear-clad boys. The perfect way to get back at my ex.

At least, that’s what it’s supposed to be. _But there’s always so much drama and snakes and - Whatever, no point losing sight of the goal. I’m here to be hot and get myself a guy._

I’m the first to arrive at the Villa and am stuck waiting until someone else decides to show up.

Luckily, it doesn’t take long. Within a few moments another girl has arrived, and she heads in my direction with a grin lighting up her face as I wave at her.

“Hi! I’m Daisy.”

_She seems alright, so I guess I’ll play nice._

“I’m Allegra! It’s so good to meet you!”

Another girl quickly joins us, “Hi, my name’s Erikah. So nice to meet you both!” _Great, more of the niceties._

“So Erikah, what kind of guy do you want to find in here?” 

_Ugh_ , now I have to listen to this Erikah girl go on about how she “doesn’t have a type” but can only be with someone she can “have a laugh with” and be “surprised” by.

Oh well, _too early to be real, right?_ “Yeah, I absolutely agree,” I say, if just to get in on the conversation. No one I’ve ever been with has been the funny type Erikah seems enamored with, and I doubt that’ll change now.

“What about you, Daisy? What are you after from the Villa?” Erikah asks, turning to the dark haired girl.

“I’m here to find love,” she says with a slight smirk. 

_Finally, something I can get behind_ , “Exactly! That’s what it’s all about,” I say with a grin.

“Well, don’t forget to enjoy yourself!” Erikah pops in. I fight the urge to roll my eyes, it’s _Love_ Island, hun. Either I’m finding love or having fun showing off for my ex.

“For me, it’s all about new beginnings,” I say, in an attempt to make my intentions for this summer clear. “I’ve just come out of this really intense breakup, and I need to get a fresh start.” 

“What happened?” Daisy asks me with, seemingly real, concern in her eyes. _It can’t actually be real though, right? She’s just playing the cameras like the rest of us… right?_

 _Why would she care? She doesn’t even know - Allegra, what does it matter? Just play the cameras right back_ , “Well, I realised he was cheating on me with his personal trainer, and...” 

_Don’t think I didn’t see that look, Erikah. Fine, I’ll change the subject_ , “Oh, check it out, another girl!” I point out a blonde girl in a yellow suit with a flower and vine tattoo on her thigh - _nice_ \- making her way to us.

“Hey, girls! I’m Jen,” she says brightly, quickly restarting the conversation of love on Love Island before incessantly asking everyone - including the curly-haired girl, Talia, that has since joined us - questions. At least Daisy has the decency to pour some champagne. There’s not enough to get wasted, but there’s enough to get a little buzzed and feel fancy.

Talia finishes telling a story about some thirsty and oblivious guy, when Erikah actually does something productive - directs everyone’s attention back to me, “Allegra was just saying she came out of a bad breakup too. He broke up with you, right?” _She did not. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up with this girl._

“That’s not what happened!” I yelp, losing my composure. I regain it as quickly as I can, but the frustration and slight hurt is still there, “Haven’t you guys been listening at all?”

“Allegra’s ex was cheating on her with his personal trainer,” Daisy clarifies matter-of-factly, like it shouldn’t even have to be explained. _Which it shouldn’t, by the way._

 _I think I’m going to get along with this girl, if she keeps this up_. “It’s so sweet that you were listening. I can’t wait to get to know you guys.” _More like just Daisy. And maybe Jen. She seems tolerable._

All eyes are still on me, so I might as well carry on, “I should have realised what was going on. He was going to the gym loads but he wasn’t getting any fitter,” my face falls even as I try to stop it. I catch Daisy looking at me with that same concern filling her gaze. _Ugh, can you not try and look like this season’s sweetheart right now?_

“Ugh. Get rid,” Talia groans. _I take it back. I just don’t want to get to know Erikah._

Then they start going off about their types. Not interested. I’m here for muscles, muscles, and maybe some tats. 

Daisy insists she doesn’t have a type, just wants someone who cares. _Wonder what that’s about. Has she been burned, too? Doubt it, she would have said something if she had, especially since I did._

Regardless, I get where she’s coming from, but for me, it’s not enough, “I want someone with a sense of humour.” _That’s one way to put it. I need someone with more of a personality than just liking me._

And there they go again, talking about something that doesn’t much matter outside of coupling up, but whatever, it’s not like it lasts too long, “Oh, what’s this? I get the first one. Awesome,” Jen interrupts the conversation I’ve been avoiding through even more champagne.

“Guys! I got a text! I’ve been looking forward to that way too much,” she adds, before continuing, “‘Hello girls, and welcome to Love Island! Please gather on the lawn. It’s time to bring in the boys. #thewaitisover #boyparade’.”

“Amazing!” Talia yells out, before we all make our way to the lawn of the Spanish villa.

We line up beside one another, waiting for things to kick off when a door across from us pops open, “How are you doing, girls? I’m Jake,” says a tall, nervous, traditionally attractive guy as he walks out. _Not too bad, but not my favorite._ I’m not the only one who catches his nerves, and he tries to brush it off by saying, “No, just overwhelmed by all these beautiful people!” _Good effort, buddy._

He blushes at another girl in line, though I can’t tell which one, before rushing off to the side. It’s only a moment before the door flies open again, this time with someone a little more my speed marching out, “Alright, ladies? I’m Mason. We’re going to have an epic summer!” _Now_ this _I can get behind._

 _He’s got the muscles, the confidence, the positivity, and did I mention the muscles?_ I try to catch his eye but fail, and he grins at someone else, but this time I see who it was: Daisy. _Damn. I thought we would be able to get on._

My attention’s quickly snapped back across the lawn to a tattooed, redheaded, chiseled guy. _More confidence, I guess I’ll take it._ He starts posing like a wrestler, and I clap at his attempts to show off his body and banter, but not many others seem interested. _Probably not the best first impression._

Another guy bursts out of the Villa, running across the lawn towards everyone, shouting about how fit everyone is. “I’m Tim by the way,” he adds as he stops in front of everyone. _Next._

Though I guess I’m alone in that, as Talia calls him hilarious and Daisy bats her eyelashes and gets a grin from Tim in return. Can’t say I blame the guy, that’s the kind of thing that could make someone weak in the knees, though he seems steady.

The short jester is followed by a guy with long hair and beard. _Meh. He looks like he could buy me just about any drink I could need, but like he takes himself_ way _too seriously._ No one else seems interested and he’s quick to join the rest of the boys.

We’re wrapping up when another guy struts onto the lawn with a sleazy smirk, and creepily short swim trunks. I’m about to say something when I catch the looks Jen and Daisy are giving him. _Yikes. That’s not going to go well._

Erikah starts before anyone else gets the chance, “So there are six boys and five girls?” _Thank you, Captain Obvious_ , “Amazing!” _Wow, she almost saved it. Almost._

I start sizing up all the guys when I see Mason sending glances in Daisy’s direction. Before I can dwell on the ensuing conflict, Erikah’s phone loudly dings. Before she can read it, Jen yells out, “Oh my god, what does it say? Read it out!” _Slow down, hun._

Erikah speedily obliges, “‘Islanders, you’ve got the rest of the day to get to know one another. You will couple up by the Fire Pit at sunset when the girls will choose their partners. The boy that isn’t chosen will be dumped from the island immediately. #getonthegraft #returnticket #girlsontop’.”

I can’t help the grin that breaks across my face. _Good. I’m making sure tonight goes my way._

Mason confidently calls out to the boys, “I guess we’d better crack on!” _Yeah, you'd better._ “Looks like the game starts here!” he shouts out, getting some laughs from the two groups still huddled on the lawn.

“Let’s split up and explore the Villa. I want to check out the roof terrace!” Talia calls out, and Jake eagerly agrees, the two sharing a look and hurrying off. _So, that’s happening._

“Oh my god, let’s check out the bedroom,” Jen excitedly says, with Levi grinning and following after her into the Villa. I catch Daisy’s eyes following Levi as he heads inside. _That's more like it. I’d rather not be the one to get into it with her._

Tim and Miles are laughing together and headed in the direction of the pool. I start working to catch up with them. _Might as well, since Miles seems like a decent option._

I sit down on the edge of the pool, sliding my legs in the water as the guys are goofing off in the shallow water. I take a moment to enjoy the scenery before I see Daisy making her way to us.

I call out to her, “Come and join us!” _She’ll be able to make this more interesting, I bet. I think she’s got a knack for that._

Tim immediately starts in, reintroducing himself and trying to flirt by calling her memorable or whatever. _Although, now that I think about it, he’s pretty right. She definitely sticks out the most, though I’m not sure why. She’s not as bubbly as Jen, or out there as Talia, but so far, she can always get all eyes on her._

“Tim reckons he’s your future husband. My name’s Miles, by the way,” the red-head throws out. _Looks like he’s flirting for Tim, too._

Tim slugs the taller guy on the shoulder, before switching his attention back to Daisy on the edge a few feet from me, “So, have you decided who you’re going to pick yet?”

I splash a few waves at him, before shouting, “You can’t ask! She probably hasn’t decided!”

Tim can’t seem to take the damn hint and carries on anyway, “She might have. Me and her definitely had a bit of a look going on when we all came in.” _Mate. You’re not for real, are you?_

I try to redirect the conversation before he gets laughed out of the pool, “I guess some people are moving pretty fast.” I try not to wince. _That sounded judgy, didn’t it? I can’t be the judgy one. Not yet, anyway._

“I expect some of us made up our minds, like, as soon as we saw you guys come in,” Daisy agrees, seeming to not notice my harsh tone.

“Definitely. What about you, Daisy? Anyone come onto you yet? Apart from me, obvs,” the jester smirks. _Okay. At least he’s aware. I think._

Daisy dismisses his questioning, answering with a smirk, “I’m just trying to chat to everyone. I want to keep people guessing.”

“Oh, come on!” he calls out.

Miles adds in, clearly trying to draw everyone’s eyes back to him, “Works for me. I like a challenge.” I nearly scoff. _She’s not a conquest, mate._ “I reckon most of the girls have probably made their minds up, you know. I’m not going to make myself seem like a prat by desperately trying to impress everyone.” _Wrong move._

For once, Tim’s got the right idea, “Thing is, mate, it’s Love Island, right? You’re used to being the only eight in a room full of sevens. But here, everyone’s an eight. No room for complacency.”

Miles shoots off, “Eight? I’m a ten, mate. Or, like, a nine point nine nine.”

Tim immediately falls into a laughing fit, and I can’t help the face I’m making. _Really?_

But that’s not the end of it. Miles thinks the solution is to go on the offensive, “Your problem, Tim, is that you’re all mouth. You’ve got no chill.”

“Bollocks!” Tim yelps with an exaggerated gasp.

“Nah, it’s true,” Miles says, turning to Daisy, who’s been slowly swirling her legs in the water during this entire exchange, “Daisy, what’s more attractive?” he questions, snapping her eyes up from the ripples in the water, “Someone cool and collected, or someone who won’t stop chattering?”

She pauses for a long moment, like she’s truly considering the question. “Someone with banter,” she finally says, a line forming between her brows like she’s not sure of the answer.

“Exactly!” Tim exclaims, and the boys carry on like they haven’t noticed. _That means it’s not a big deal, right? Just a spacey moment, yeah?_

“Can you imagine dating a man who never shuts up for five seconds, though?” Miles continues on.

I jump in, trying to forget the distant look on Daisy’s face when she was considering Miles’ question, “Sounds alright, to be honest. Good banter is everything.”

“I just don’t want to be with a guy who acts like I’m not even there, you know?” she says defensively, with a frown falling over her features.

The guys still seem oblivious, “Look man, I’m just winding you up, yeah?”

Tim’s laugh breaks both Daisy and I back into reality. “You’re winding me up? Mate, you’ve just declared war. I’ll wind you up so hard you’ll think you’re a clock,” he says with a massive grin covering his face.

“Alright, mate. You’re on,” Miles responds with a chuckle.

Daisy shoots me a glance and I catch on fast enough, and we both leave the boys to their banter in the pool.

I spend the rest of the morning mingling and lounging, and find myself chatting with Jen about her fashion blog on the bean bags. _She’s sweet but some of these ideas are just ridiculous. Who wants to wear devil horns all the time?_ She’s telling me about the time some designer retweeted her review of a line when we hear Jasper shout from the kitchen, “Guys, get over here!”

“What does it say?” Miles says from the doorway into the kitchen.

Talia reads out, “‘The girls only have a few hours left to size up the talent. What better way to get to know each other than with a game of Never Have I Ever? Let’s find out who your fellow Islanders really are… #firstimpressions #gotnosecrets #timetobereal’.”

_Now this is what I signed up for._

We all take a moment to share excited glances and a few laughs as Tim starts sprinting to the fire pit, calling back over his shoulder, “Hey! What are you guys waiting for?”

We’ve all taken seats around where the fire will be burning tonight when Jake asks, “Wait, how does this game work? Haven’t played it since I was a teenager,” he clarifies.

“Come on, mate. It’s not complicated,” Tim says, staring at the older guy with a look of confusion and frustration before his usual smile hits his face, “We all take turns to say a thing we’ve never done. If you’ve done that thing, you have to stand up and take a drink.”

Jake follows up with, “You have to stand up?” _He just said that, buddy._

“And take a drink. Them’s the rules.” Maybe Tim’s not so bad. _If he’d ever chill out with the babbled jokes._

Jen takes control of the game, starting out with “Never have I ever cheated on my partner.” _Ooh. Juicy. Good to figure out snakes. I’m never dealing with someone who has a history of cheating ever again._

“Straight to what matters. None of this ‘I never ate a lobster’ stuff. Love it,” Mason chimes in. _This guy gets it._

“Well, we’ve got to know what kind of guys we’re getting into bed with. Literally!” _She’s cheesy, but I think she means well. And clearly she values loyalty. Better make her my ally first._

“So, Jake, at this point you have to stand up if you’ve ever cheated on your partner.”

“I get it, thanks.” He takes a second before standing up. I’m a little shocked, but even more so when Erikah stands up. She seemed to be playing the shy and innocent girl so well, I figured it must not be a total act, but hey, she’s an actor after all, isn’t she?

I’m far less surprised to see Levi on his feet. _Well, guess he’s off the list. Not that he ever was on it to begin with._ I’m pleased to see Mason hasn’t joined him. _Good._

“So now we know, eh?” Tim says to break the tension.

“OK, I’ve got a question,” Talia jumps in, “I have never slept with someone, without knowing their name.” _Uh oh. See, the thing is, I might have done that. But I don’t quite remember anything else, either._

Jasper is first to stand, with Jake soon following suit and proclaiming, “Come on, there must be more!” _Buzz off, mate_. But I stand anyway. _Better safe than sorry, I suppose._ “That’s more like it,” he says with a grin. _Ugh._

The game continues with questions about threesomes (which I stand for) to Miles bragging about some poor girl he brought out to a lake or something. The only reprieve from that story being Tim's claim to be the girl.

Although, I wouldn’t quite call it the highlight of the game. For whatever reason the question that left me the most bewildered was Tim’s, “Never have I ever spent the night with someone of the same gender?” Maybe it’s more of the answer that’s the interesting part.

Daisy and Talia stand. Mason starts nudging and murmuring to Levi, who, somehow, doesn’t seem amused. Neither is Talia or Daisy, or even me for that matter. _Real mature, man._

I’m about to call him out when Jake stands and looks around, “Come on, no other boys? Ah well. Maybe later in the summer,” he tacks on.

Mason, Jen, and Daisy start saying how basic they are. _I mean, I can’t really say they’re not, can I?_

“I need to get up to more mischief, apparently,” Daisy says, instantly gaining a smirk from Levi, “Well, maybe you can set that right this summer.” _Real classy. Definitely not just gross and creepy. Definitely not._

“Maybe. I don’t think I want to have a massive orgy in the Villa,” Jen reponds, prompting Tim to bring up Miles’ sex lake again. As the two start chasing each other, Mason says something about someone named Toby. I’ve stopped paying attention, getting distracted by the bromance across the lawn, and, eventually, Daisy’s face as she seems to be lost in thought, snapping back when Erikah’s annoyance with Mason becomes obvious.

“You’re all Tobys,” he responds, shaking his head. _What the hell’s going on with this Toby guy? Why’s he so important all of a sudden?_ Mason continues on, “It means like when someone’s being a mug.” _Oh. That… makes a lot more sense._

But Erikah still doesn’t get it, “But what does it mean if someone’s a mug?” _Wait… is that her try at_ flirting _?_

“Oh, that just means they’re a toby.” Erikah looks mad, the sly smile has completely left her face. _So, I doubt she’s going to be much competition._

She seems to recover quickly, however, “Alright boys, go somewhere else. I want to talk to my girls.” _Oh no. I’m one of ‘her girls’ now, aren’t I?_

“Fair enough,” Levi says. _Yeah, it better be._

“So, girls, how are you finding it? Any boys seem interested?” _Now’s my chance to make myself clear._

“Daisy, you’ve been getting a lot of attention. You go first.” _Or not._

“The boys all seem nice, but none of them have seemed especially into me so far.” Some deep, buried part of me sings at that. _She’s going to be my biggest competition after all, you know?_

“I’m getting left behind,” she says, that frown flickering across her face for a second before she plasters on a smile and looks at Talia, who’s trying to cheer her up. Something weird hits my gut at that, but I’m soon distracted by Jen.

“I really like Levi. He’s mine, for sure.” _Really? That’s the guy you’re claiming? The one with the stupid hair and his dick on full display? Ugh._

“What, you’ve decided that already?” Daisy says with worry coating her voice.

“Yeah! He’s super hot, and he seems way, way more into me than anyone else. Like, I don’t want to sound cocky-” _heh_ \- ”but we’ve had a couple of moments already.” _Go you, I guess? Go get yourself that cheater?_

Of course, I don’t actually say that, but rather opt for the line “Smooth operator!” _Way too cheesy, but might as well seize the moment_ , “I like Mason, to be honest, if I can get him. What about you, Talia?” I ask, mainly to distract myself from the bewildered look in Daisy’s eyes as her gaze flicks between Jen and I, which meeting sounds like the worst idea for some reason. _It’s not like I’ve strayed away from a fight before. Why now? Maybe it’s the cameras… It’s most definitely the cameras._

Talia’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts, her flirty facial expression glancing to the other side of the Villa, where the boys are chatting, “Oh, I’ve picked someone out. I’m going to keep it to myself for now, though.”

“Same,” Erikah butts in. _Aw, they’re no fun. Then it hits me._

“Oh my god. If any of you have got your eyes on Mason,” I start, focusing in on the girl that could take anyone in the Villa but doesn’t seem to know it, “Just chill out, okay?” I blow the girls kisses to try and save the situation, but I doubt it worked. Rather than try and salvage the conversation further, I decide it’s better to just leave and strut away.

I spend a bit unpacking my cosmetics in the dressing room so I don’t have to do as much tonight, then head back to the lawn, plopping down in a bean bag by Miles and Jasper, who are talking about something Scottish. I guess Jasper has family there or something.

I’m easily able to get their attention and decide to have some fun. I have the boys bring me drinks and compete. Daisy arrives in the middle of their pushup contest.

“Go on, boys! Keep it up!” I call out before turning to her and smiling. 

Jasper gives out first, hitting the ground with a groan.

“He’s down!” Miles calls out victoriously, and continues his pushups with minimal effort.

“Alright, mate, no need to gloat,” Jasper says as he slowly rises, soon followed by Miles who leaps up with a grin, before it quickly falls away into a scowl, “No way, mate, we’re doing this,” he says angrily. “I win this round! What’s next, Allegra?” he turns to me with a smirk.

I can’t help but beam at his eagerness. _I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone try so hard to impress me. I think I kind of like it_. “Oh, I don’t know…” I start, trying to think of something that’ll be more entertaining than pushups.

“Are you getting the boys to do stuff?” _Um, yeah. Is it not obvious?_

“Yeah! Isn’t it hilarious?” I ask her.

“Not really.” I can’t help the disappointment that suddenly hits me, but cover it long enough to let Miles fix the worst of it.

“Oh, come on, Daisy. I’m just doing what I’m told.”

“What do you mean?” She asks, confused.

“You said I had to work harder for the ladies’ approval. That’s what I’m doing.” _Wait, when did she say that? Am I missing something?_

 _Anyway_ , “It’s just a bit of fun. Hey, what do you think they should do next?” I ask, turning to face her and trying to ignore the boys, but Jasper’s complaints manage to get through.

“Come on, I’m completely knackered already.”

Daisy insists we let them relax, miraculously convincing me to give up on this oh-so-entertaining competition. Although, it doesn’t look like the fun’s over yet.

Miles turns to Jasper, saying, “Probably for the best. I could beat this numpty any day of the week.”

“Stop calling me a numpty,” Jasper says, half angry and half upset.

“Why shouldn’t I call you a numpty, numpty?” Miles shoots back.

“Say numpty one more time,” Jaspers responds through gritted teeth, half angry and half angry.

Miles beams, “Numpty.” Miles scowls, “You. Are. A. Numpty.”

 _Now I’m worried_. “OK, come on boys, fun’s over,” I say, in a feeble attempt to de-escalate the situation before someone gets punched and Daisy gets more upset with me for egging them on. Somehow, it seems to have worked.

“Alright, mate. We’ve had some fun. Let’s say we shake on it,” Jasper says, sticking his hand between the two with a smile spreading his lips. The smile soon slips away, leaving worry, “Hey, careful mate, looks like you’ve got something on your chest,” he points to Miles’ tattooed chest. When Miles looks down Jasper rolls his finger up, hitting Miles’ nose.

“Oldest trick in the book,” Jasper laughs, taking a few steps back.

But Miles isn’t quite as amused, “Hey! I’m not taking that from a dimwit like you!”

“Dimwit! Who are you calling a dimwit?” Jasper fires back.

 _Ooh, this is getting good_ , “He called _you_ a dimwit, honey,” I say, trying to stoke the flames to finally get a show.

“Don’t stir things up, Allegra,” Daisy butts in, but I pretend to ignore her.

 _Whatever. It’s not like she’s doing anything to replace the show._ “He called you a dimwit, Jasper. He thinks he’s better than you. Are you going to take that?” I continue to further fuel the fire between the two hotheads.

“You need to learn to take a joke, mate,” Miles indignantly states.

They get closer, glaring at each other, starting to square off, “I think we need to have a word,” Jasper hisses, “Mate.”

Miles closes the distance, “I’m not your mate.”

“Oh my god!” I yelp, unable to keep my thoughts to myself for once. _They’re really going to do it! But the producers told us physical fighting was a definite ‘no’!_

I’m about to say something when I spot Mason making his way to us from the Villa, “What’s going on here?”

Before he can even do anything, Daisy throws her drink on them, _Woah. She’s not playing around, is she?_ “Cool off, guys,” she says, moving her hands placatingly.

Mason follows suit, placing his arms between them, “Woah, woah. Come on, boys. We’re all stressed about getting sent home.” _Why? It’s not like he’s in any danger so long as Daisy and I are here._

“Out of my way, man,” Miles attempts to push past Mason, but the bulkier guy stands his ground.

“Step off, Miles,” Jasper adds through gritted teeth.

Mason carries on with distancing the two men, “Calm down, both of you, before something embarrassing happens.”

The guys walk off in separate directions, leaving just Mason, Daisy, and I. 

_Perfect_. “Oh my God. My hero,” I exclaim, fawning over Mason.

“You men are such brutes,” Daisy says, clearly unimpressed with the whole display. I nearly frown at her frustration, though I can’t tell if it's because of her or the guys. _Well, her loss, my gain._

Mason’s quick to try and set the record straight, “Nah, nothing was going to happen.” _Yeah, right._ “Miles and Jasper are kittens. It’s all good.”

That seems to successfully calm Daisy, who’s shoulders relax and face calms. I turn to Mason, looking to distract myself from her and gain points with him.

“Well, thanks for stopping them anyway,” I put on the cutest and flirtiest smile I can, and catch Daisy staring out of the corner of my mouth. _Good. I’d rather her eyes are on me than him_. “I would have felt really bad if one of them broke a nail,” I say.

I see Daisy stifle a chuckle at that, and resist the urge to turn on her.

Mason doesn’t seem to see this, though, and keeps going, so my eyes stay on him.

“Yeah. In fairness, it did go from zero to sixty in, like, two seconds.” _Okay maybe that’s a bit of a lie. But he wasn’t here, so it’s not like it matters._

“Good work stopping them, Mason,” Daisy draws his gaze from me. _Ugh. Couldn’t she tell we were having a moment?_

I carry on anyway, “I love it when a guy stops a fight. And I think you know that, right, honey?” _Perfect. Two birds with one stone. Put Daisy in her place and crack on with Mason._

“Maybe…” he says, throwing a glance at Daisy, who looks surprisingly unbothered. _Guess Erikah’s not the only actor in the Villa this year._

Mason carries on, “I don’t think anything was going to happen, anyway. Just a lot of posturing.”

 _Looks like I’m done here, this conversation’s gone stale._ “Well, that’s the end of my fun, anyway. No more making the men fight. Lesson learned,” I say as I pick up my glass, then head towards the kitchen for a refill.

After grabbing a snack I head over to the pool to chat with Jen. At some point Daisy joins us and the three of us lounge in varying amounts of water. Eventually, my phone dings.

“What’s that?” I question to no one in particular as I reach for my phone. “Oh, amazing! Guys, I got a text!” _Nailed it._

“Guys, there’s a text!” Jen calls out, too.

A few minutes later, once everyone’s arrived by the pool, I read out the text, after some light prompting from Jasper. _Mate, I was getting there_. “OK, here it is. ‘Islanders, the first coupling up will be held in one hour at the Fire Pit. The girls should sit around the fire, and boys should line up in front of them. #playingforkeeps #notakebacks’.”

“Oh my god, we have to get ready!” Talia shouts out, already headed in the direction of the Villa.

After a few moments of discussion, the rest of the girls follow suit, with the boys anxiously murmuring amongst themselves.

I spend the next hour sorting through outfits, re-doing my hair a few times and touching up my make-up more than necessary.

I make my way outside with Jen, sitting around the Fire Pit and talking with her and Talia about who they think is going home. _My vote’s on Tim or Jasper. I’d rather it was Levi but Jen’s really into him._

The boys line up around the Pit, staring at the ground, the fire or looking at each girl in turn. 

Talia’s up first, choosing Jake, which isn’t that much of a surprise. _They seemed to get on well, spent the most time together_. I clap, mainly to just move things forward, but Talia seems pleased with the applause.

My phone’s the next to go off, and I pop up. _God, why am I suddenly so nervous? Get it together. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s not like he can say ‘no,’ right?_ I take a second and a deep breath before starting, “OK, I would like to couple up with this boy because - Because I really like his body!” _Might as well be honest._ “He seems super keen, and I think that means he’s got a big heart.” _Close enough._ “The boy I’d like to couple up with is Mason.”

I don’t miss the surprise in his eyes or the look he sends to Daisy, _Excuse me?_ But at least he has the decency to kiss my cheek, and Daisy doesn’t seem fazed, clapping with everyone else. _Seriously?! If I have to be honest then you do, too!_

Erikah’s after us, and isn’t very subtle about Mason being her first choice. _At least one of these girls can be for real._ Anyway, she chooses Tim, so there goes that theory. Now my money’s solely on Jasper.

Following Erikah’s terrible speech is Jen, who gets the boy she wanted easily. The only other girl who would choose that prick is Daisy, and she’s been put last. _That’s what she gets for trying to play nice. Even the producers know you’re a drama magnet, babes. Yet she_ still _claps._

Daisy’s turn leaves Jasper single, _called it_ , and Miles and Jasper almost get into it again after Daisy acts like Miles was the one she wanted all along. _Yeah, right. We all know Mason’s the catch of this season and he’s mine._

I call out with the others, “Bye Jasper, I’ll miss you!” _No I won’t._

Again, Daisy acts like Miles is her first pick, and he says the same. _You're totally believable, guys. Totally._

Daisy’s phone beeps before they can continue to blatantly lie to one another, and she reads out, “‘Islanders, the choice you’ve made could determine how long you stay in the Villa.’” _Duh._ “‘You’ll be spending time together, getting to know each other,’” _we better be. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?_ “‘And even sharing a bed together.’” _And that’s what I came here for._ "'And remember, the only way to remain on Love Island is to be in a couple. Have fun! #summerofyourlife #twoheadsarebetterthanone #everychoicematters’.”

As everyone starts heading off, I grab Mason’s hand and take him to the daybeds. I’m still getting comfy next to him when he says, “I wasn’t really expecting you to pick me tonight. I mean, not that I’m complaining, but how come?” _I thought I explained this in that stupid speech._

“You’re exactly my type. Fit, funny, and nice,” I answer, putting on my softest smile. He grins at that and lounges back.

“So, are you cool with the bed stuff? Or do you want me to stay out here or something?” 

I answer probably too quickly, “No! I mean, I’m cool with it, no worries.”

“Cool, cool,” he says distantly.

We lay on the bed for a little longer, sharing idle chat about the Villa and family and whatnot, until we see some of the other Islanders heading in for the night. Mason stands up first, and when I start to sit up on the bed he offers me his hand. _I think I made the right decision. This guy's a gentleman._ I smirk to myself.

After changing for the night and taking off my make-up, I slide into bed next to Mason. I cuddle up to him and he wraps his arms around me while we listen to the other Islanders getting ready for the night.

After the bedroom starts winding down, Mason asks, “Hey, can I be little spoon for a bit?” _Seriously? I wouldn’t even be able to get my arms around him!_

“What? Of course not! You’re like twice my size!” I fire off.

He dejectedly murmurs, “aw…” and shifts behind me. _Too harsh, huh? Nothing I can do about it now, though._

All the lights are off within a few moments, and it doesn’t take long for everyone to drift off for the night. Well, everyone but Daisy and Miles. _Guess the lies didn’t work out. Tough luck, babes._

I sigh and fall further into Mason’s chest, the guy I told the truth to - _Well, most of it_ \- and am soon drifting off, wondering what tomorrow has in store for Mason and I. And maybe Daisy, too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 in the Villa has been pretty eventful for Allegra, with fights, breakups, debates and some fortune-telling!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter went well, and I think I'll be able to update regularly now, so plenty more's to come! (Again, this chapter's very long, I'm working on maybe cutting stuff down but I'm not very good at that!)

I’m pulled awake from my restless sleep this morning by shouts from across the massive bedroom and grumbles beside me, “Come on, man, I’m trying to sleep…” 

_Now I’m annoyed_. “Who’s making all that noise?” I call out from beneath the duvet.

At least Talia answers from a few beds away, “It’s Miles. He’s making us breakfast.” _Ugh. Gross._

“What a knobhead.” I hear a few murmurs of agreement as I nuzzle back into my pillow and pull the duvet tighter. Most of the other Islanders start to slide out from under their sheets, or spark conversations. One of which, Jen seems to take issue with. _She’s got some bite. I like that._

Once I hear Levi head to the showers, I figure I might as well join in. I sit up and rest against the headboard with the duvet pulled around me.

I turn to face Daisy, who’s sitting in the middle of her bed, her legs curled beneath her and a hand propping her up. 

I’m not sure what to talk about with her quite yet, so I just bring up what’s been on my mind since last night, “It’s really weird to think that, like, we’re all here but Jasper is probably on his way back home by now.” _Everything can change in an instant here._ “I can’t believe it came down to you to choose who got dumped. That was hardcore,” I say to her, both impressed and relieved. _She handled it well, but it was probably still disappointing to get stuck with one of them._

Her face softens before she responds, speaking lower, “Choosing who got dumped was stressful.”

I nod along, empathizing with the situation. _Picking Mason was nerve-racking enough._

“I was thinking about it all night,” I carry on, watching her eyes focus in on me, “I couldn’t sleep with so many people in the room. Every time I heard someone roll over or scratch or snore, my brain was like ‘someone’s having sex,'” I scowl.

Then, Miles comes strutting into the room with a mug in hand, interrupting our conversation. “Come on, lazybones, your toast is getting cold!” he says to Daisy.

“Thanks!” she brightly says back. It's a sharp contrast to the soft, even concerned, look she had during our chat. _Oh, this girl is good. But I won’t be played so easily, hun._

“No problem!” he beams, reaching over the bottom of the bed to hand her the mug. 

He heads back the way he came soon enough, letting me continue our conversation, “So what’s the score with you and Miles? Going to try and patch things up with him, or crack on with someone else?” _Might as well try and work things out before everything kicks off._

She pauses, inspecting the mug, before sighing. “I haven’t decided yet... I’m still working things out, I guess.”

 _Well, that didn’t go the way I’d hoped. Seems like she’s not giving up the act yet._ I can tell my brows have creased, but don’t bother to stop them. _Maybe if she knows what I think she’ll keep her distance._ “So, um, please don’t try anything on with Mason. I want to make sure I have a good shot at succeeding with him.”

Her face doesn’t change, looking at me expectantly. _So that’s how it is, huh? Alright. I’ll play._ “You know what they say. You shouldn’t eat from other people’s plates, and you don’t want to start something you can’t finish,” I say, with a smirk creeping up my lips.

“What are you talking about?” she questions me, her brow furrowing and hands dropping with the mug to hold it in her lap.

“They had that on the wall of a restaurant I went to once. I think it means that, like, you shouldn’t eye up what someone else has-” _Mason_ \- “and you should be prepared to finish it if you try to start anything.” _Because I definitely will_.

“So you’re warning me off?” she casually sips her drink.

 _That’s one way to put it._ “I’m just telling you how it is. They had one of those food challenges at this restaurant. They all said that to me because they thought I was a girl who couldn’t eat a 32oz steak. I showed them.” That memory still makes me feel proud. _I don’t like being told what to do. _Especially_ by people who think they’re better than me._ “I get what I want when I put my mind to it. So, you know. Don’t bite off more than you can chew with Mason.”

“OK…” she looks hesitant, unsure of how to respond. 

I don’t care enough to try and play nice or get a better response out of her. _I said what I needed to. If she’s not going to answer me - or anyone for that matter - truthfully, then that’s her problem._ “While we’re on the subject… Do you know who keeps eating all of the salt and vinegar crisps round here?”

Erikah enters the bedroom, headed straight for Daisy, pulling her behind her and into the bathroom. _Might as well get up now._ I hear Tim yelling, and Erikah laughing in the bathroom as I make my way to the dressing room. _What the hell’s going on in there?_

I’m sorting through my suitcase when Daisy and Erikah enter, both making a beeline for their own cases.

 _Damn it, none of these outfits are right!_ “I’ve literally been here one day and I already don’t know what to wear,” I huff while throwing a floral skirt past me. _Why did I even bring that?_

Erikah chimes in with what may just be the least useful suggestion ever, “Something hot!” I try not to glare at her, _I think that was a given._

Nevertheless, I bite my tongue, “You’re so right.” I catch Daisy watching me with a raised eyebrow. _What, I can’t play anyone, but you can?_ She appears to have some sense of decency since she keeps her mouth shut.

Jen helps me tie up my small, dark green bikini and I do the same for her suit. As I’m finishing my make-up I see Daisy slip in from the bathroom, wearing a purple suit with too many straps. _Not too bad, I suppose. But those straps are a bit ridiculous._

I spend the next half hour making and eating breakfast - toast and eggs - before walking out onto the lawn. I spot Jen’s bright hair by the pool and have started making my way over to her when I see Daisy and Mason sitting on bean bags that are far too close together.

I hurry over, sitting down by Daisy, eyeing her up while she grins at me and Mason raises an eyebrow. I try to smile but I doubt it gets past Daisy. It’s more for Mason’s sake. I’d rather he didn’t know just how big of a threat Daisy is. Especially since she acts all nice. Then he’ll just think I’m paranoid. _But she’s for real. She’d turn anyone’s head, wouldn’t she? I mean, I’m not blind. I see the appeal. Even if I don’t think it’s worth it._

“Hey guys. What are you talking about?” I ask with the biggest smile I can muster as I try to relax into the bean bag I’m lounging on.

“My relationship prospects,” Daisy casually answers, her calm eyes looking back into my suspicious ones.

 _At least she’s not lying to me right now. I hate that stuff more than anything._ “I bet… There’s definitely someone here for you. I think Jake seems interested,” I say to try and distract her from my guy.

I don’t think it works. “Yeah…” she quietly responds, shifting in her bag to look at the sky and cross her arms across her chest.

She tries to spark a conversation a few more times but I manage to stop her every time. _I’m not about to let her flirt with my man right in front of me. She doesn’t think she could get away with that, does she?_

Once she leaves, I’m left alone with Mason. _Right where I want to be._

After a few moments of surprisingly pleasant silence, he pipes up, “So, what do you think of Daisy? You guys are mates, right?” _Is he really asking me, his partner, if he should crack on with some other girl?_

 _Hell no!_ “I think she’s pretty two-faced,” I say with as even a tone as I can manage.

He looks pretty shocked, his voice pitching up when he questions my answer, “Really? Why- why’s that?” he clears his throat to regain his composure.

“I dunno.” _Oh, I do know._ “Just - have you seen the way she acts around Miles? Like she didn’t spend yesterday pining after Levi and disagreeing with him all afternoon. She blatantly said he wasn’t her type yesterday by the pool!” My face has heated and my voice has gotten louder, so I take a second to cool down. “I just don’t think she should be pretending, I guess, if that makes sense,” I awkwardly finish.

Mason looks thoughtful, his voice far quieter than mine just was, “Yeah, I guess. But I just think she’s trying to be nice.” _Of course she’s won him over._ “Look -” he points across the lawn to the loungers where the woman in question is chatting with her partner, “maybe she’s telling him how it is right now, and just didn’t want to embarrass the bloke in front of everyone.” I huff at that. “Maybe you’re right, but that’s just how I see it,” he ends.

I just barely stop myself from rolling my eyes, and instead stand, grabbing my water bottle. I plaster on the sweetest grin I can, “Agree to disagree, yeah?” and head inside without waiting for a response. _I’m going to have to do something about Daisy._ I sigh as I turn on the faucet of the kitchen sink. _She really is the last person I want to get into it with, but the one I need to. Ugh._ I turn off the tap and head to the roof terrace for a while, in the hopes that the landscape below will help clear my head. 

It seems to work, because a short while later I feel confident enough to rejoin the others. I scan my eyes across the Villa’s grounds as I exit the main building. Jen’s lounging on a daybed and I join her. We share idle conversation while waiting for the day to truly start.

It seems the producers got the cue, and there’s a shout from the gym. We run over, Jen yelling to read out the text as we get closer, “‘Islanders, you’ve been in the Villa for a whole day. It’s time to find out who’s been paying attention, and who’s just chancing it. Girls, head to the beach hut. Boys, go to the bedroom. Erikah and Tim, head to the pool. All will be revealed. #gettingintimate #mysteryquiz’.” _Oh. So it’s just a quiz? Not the most exciting challenge, but whatever._

Guess the disappointment’s all mine, since Levi calls out, “A challenge? Amazing.”

Mason ushers the boys to the Villa and I watch him go before following the other girls who are being led by Daisy. She didn’t even try to get their attention, just started walking. _How’d she manage that?_ Jen’s too busy excitedly chattering with Talia to strike up something with me. Tim and Erikah trail behind us until they reach the pool, theorising about their role in this challenge as Daisy stays quiet.

Once we enter the beach hut, Jen passes out papers with each of our names on them and pens - a questionnaire. Great.

I start in on the couple of questions, ‘Party out or stay in?’ _Depends. Do I have drinks at my flat?_ I check ‘party out’ regardless. ‘Early bird or night owl?’ _I kind of have to be a night owl for work_. 'Would you ever be in an open relationship?’ _Yeah, no. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with them, but they seem so messy, and you could probably be lied to so easily and you’d never know._

Everyone else seems to finish around the same time as me and we wait for a text with further instructions.

Talia’s the one to receive it, “Ah, here we go,” she begins, “‘Girls, please go to the swimming pool, where you will find the boys waiting. Sit on the edge of the pool, opposite your partner. #payattention #allwillberevealed’.” _’All will be revealed’? Really? It’s just a quiz on each other._

“Hey guys!” Erikah calls out as we get situated around the pool. Mason’s watching me and I wink at him, getting one in return and a smirk, too.

Tim gains my attention by calling out, “Ready to play a game?”

“Here’s how it works. You’ve all been answering questions,” Erikah starts in.

“We’re going to see if you’re able to guess which answers your partners gave!” Tim chimes in. _Yep. Got it._

“Oh, I get it,” Talia says like it’s some huge realisation. _Oh, come on._

“The couple with the most correct answers wins a prize - a date night, outside the Villa.” _Now_ that’s _new_. “Let’s start with you, Talia, as you seem keen,” Erikah turns to the girl.

“Awesome,” Talia grins at her.

“We asked Jake, ‘would you keep a suitcase full of money if you found one on the street?’ What answer do you think Jake gave?” Erikah reads off her phone. _Easy. He said ‘no.’ He’s got the whole sweetheart thing going on so far._

Talia thinks for a short moment before voicing her thoughts aloud, ending on the answer of “He’d hand it in.” She’s correct, obviously.

“Alright, let’s try one for Miles,” Tim joins in, turning to the guy sitting on the end of the boys. “When asked ‘Are you a summer person or a winter person?’ what answer did Daisy give?” 

Miles doesn’t even take time to think it over, immediately answering, “Oh, that’s easy. She’s a winter person, for sure,” he grins at Tim, expecting to be told he’s correct.

“Alright mate, why do you say that?” Tim asks him. _Yeah, I don’t think he is._

“Because she’s got a frosty attitude, not a warm one, like a summer person would have,” he says indignantly, like there’s no discernible reason for Tim to be questioning him right now.

“Interesting… That’s actually the wrong answer,” Erikah says, avoiding Miles’ eye.

“Oh, is it? Well, whatever.” _You could at least pretend to care, mate_.

Erikah turns her attention away from him and faces me. _Here we go._ “Allegra, Mason was asked if he preferred books or movies. What was his answer?” _Boring_.

“Movies,” I respond. _Obvious answer._

“Correct!” Erikah beams at me.

Mason smiles at me, too, from across the pool, “Books are just too long, y’know? I can’t read while I practice,” he frowns, but returns my grin when he meets my eyes.

I latch on to the opportunity, leaning in and throwing out, “Yeah, totally! You can watch them anywhere. But, like, I’m not about to just bring a whole book everywhere I go. That’d be so weird.”

Mason laughs at that and I feel proud for being the cause, “Can you imagine just pulling out _Order of the Phoenix_ at a party?”

That gets more laughs from the pool for a moment, before Erikah and Tim continue with the questions. Levi gets Jen’s question right, clearly trying too hard. _It’s just a game, chill a bit._

“Alright, Daisy,” Tim turns to her. “Here’s one for you. We asked Miles, ‘can guys and girls ever be just friends?’ What do you think he said?”

Daisy looks confused. _Obvious answer again_. “He said ‘yes,’ right?” she sounds unsure, like it’s a trick.

“Ooh, wrong answer!” Tim calls out. _What?!_ “Miles doesn’t think that girls and boys can ever be ‘just friends’.” Daisy looks shocked, her eyes wide and lips parted, and half the pool looks similar.

Jen’s the first to take the bait, “Do you really think that, Miles? That’s horrible!”

He answers pretty quickly, not seeming too bothered, “It’s just natural! Men and women… There’s always going to be something in the way, isn’t there?”

Talia jumps in, too, “No. You’re just a stupid misogynist!”

Tim says something about gymnasts before Jake chimes in, “They’re right, Miles. It’s a really disrespectful attitude.”

“Wow, I didn’t realise I was on trial here!” Miles yells at the group. _Did it really just take a guy interfering for him to get upset? Ugh._

“Well, maybe you need to examine your values,” I add. _This guy’s so gross._

Tim turns to Jake, clearly trying to stop the disagreement from continuing, asking him his first question. He does the same for Jen, and, finally, Mason. “When asked if she would rather stay in or party out, what did Allegra say?”

Mason doesn’t take any time to think, immediately launching into his response, “I think she said stay in. You can’t really watch movies at a party, either,” he jokes.

I frown at him, and he looks back at me, confused. _Does he think all I do is watch movies?_

“That is… incorrect,” Tim says slowly as he takes in my furious gaze.

“Oh. My bad,” Mason says, meeting my gaze. He smiles hopefully before asking, “It’s not a big deal, is it?”

“Nope. Not a big deal,” I lean back a bit and try to relax, because, in reality, I know it’s not. _But it’s still frustrating to feel like I’m the only one trying._

Talia is asked a question before everyone’s attention is directed back to the trainwreck that seems to be Miles. _He just can’t catch a break. Or, I guess, make himself a break._

Predictably, he gets the question wrong, insulting Daisy’s drink choice of Gin and Tonic. Which, to be fair, isn’t bad. Though, that might just be because of the alcohol.

I’m questioned again on Mason’s answer to the question ‘Would you rather vacation in the mountains or on an island beach?’ 

“The answer had better be ‘beach,’” I say flirtily. “What’s the point of having that body if you're just going to cover it with a dozen layers?”

Mason’s face splits into a prideful smirk at that, and he flexes his arms at me before turning to the others. He looks at Daisy a little too long. 

_Better get his eyes back where they belong._ “Was I right?” I ask him.

“Oh, you know it,” he says, sounding absolutely full of himself. “You think I’d starve the world of this?” he flexes his pecs to cheers and laughs from some of the others. Daisy only laughs quietly while Tim and Jake act as Mason’s biggest supporters.

I’m followed by Levi again, until it’s Daisy’s next turn, where she gets another loaded question, “‘Have you slept with more than two hundred people?’ What answer did Miles give?”

Daisy looks both disgusted and disappointed when she says, “He said ‘yes,’ didn’t he?”

“That’s the right answer!” Erikah shouts. _Woah._

Jen yells across the pool at Miles, “That’s unbelievable!”

“Well, not really,” Jake starts in. “Think about it. One person a week, fifty-two weeks in a year.” Tim gets confused again before Jake continues, “If you keep that up, you get to two hundred in only, like, four years.” _Seems a bit weird to be doing the math, but whatever. Weird question anyway._

“Would you mind not doing the numbers on my love life? Thanks,” Miles loudly yells at the bloke before turning his glare on Jen.

“But if you’re seeing that many people, you can’t have, like, just one girlfriend for any of that time,” she observes. _Oh yeah. Isn’t he only, like, 21 or something?_

“Well, maybe I’ve come on Love Island because I want to change all that? Maybe this is my chance to finally settle down, and leave my wayward life behind me? Anyway, I’ve had girlfriends for, like, a couple of months at a time and stuff,” he tries to justify. _I guess I get it. And it’s not like he doesn’t know anything, he’s just maybe a little off._

“I bet with all that experience, he’s really good in bed…” I smirk, trying to lighten the mood, since this topic seems to have weighed down or pissed off most of the group.

It works, since Talia splashes me while laughing and Daisy shakes her head but has a small smile at the corners of her mouth.

The game continues, with Jake getting a question correct before Jen does the same, with all eyes eventually settling on Mason. _He better get this one right._

“We asked Allegra if she's a night owl or an early bird. How did she answer?”

Mason studies me for a moment before thinking aloud, “Well, you _really_ didn’t like being woken up this morning, so I think that eliminates early bird, yeah? So I think she’s a night owl.”

I beam at him, feeling warmth grow in my chest at the fact that he already knows me well enough from just one morning to get the question right.

“And that’s correct!” Tim shouts from behind Mason, breaking the moment. _Thanks for that, mate._

The game carries on, Talia doing okay again, Miles miraculously getting a question right, and me getting Mason’s answer to the question, ‘Do you think ‘once a cheater, always a cheater’ is a fair statement?’ wrong. Turns out, he has more faith in people than I do. 

Levi gets his correct once more, to Jen’s delight, and Daisy gets a far more normal question. _Still kind of out there compared to others, but at least no one’s arguing this time._

The game‘s almost wrapped up with Jake and Jen’s final questions, the latter doing better than the former and automatically bagging herself and Levi a date night outside the Villa, even though Mason has one question left. _Damn. That would have been fun._

Mason correctly guesses that I’d never agree to be in an open relationship, commenting, “Yeah, I just don’t see her as the type. To be fair, I’m not either.”

I grin at him at that. _That’s good. I’m not about to let someone try and talk me into it. Although, I guess I might be a bit obvious._

Miles chimes in, saying, “Nah, you’re both wrong. Open relationships are a blast. I mean, at least for a while.” _Ugh._

His comment abruptly ruins the moment, and I spend a little while chatting with Talia about the challenge as everyone begins to clear out, my eyes following Mason and Daisy as they laugh together on their way to the kitchen before splitting off, Daisy headed for the daybeds and Mason continuing into the kitchen. 

Once Mason’s out of my line of sight, I redirect my attention to the daybeds, where I spot Daisy chatting with Levi. _What a snake. Just can’t keep to herself, can she?_

Talia leaves to talk with Jake and Tim, who are over in the gym, and I grab Jen from Erikah on the bean bags.

“Hey, babes. Wanna chat?” I ask her as sweetly as possible, since Erikah’s still in earshot.

“Of course!” she brightly responds. “Let’s talk later, hun!” she says to Erikah before following me into the Villa. “What’s up? What do you want to talk about?” she asks me once we’re alone inside.

I glance around before starting to pull her into the bathroom. “Daisy. But not here.”

She follows me into the shower, closing it behind us, “What about Daisy?”

“She’s been talking with both Mason and Levi. A lot, babes. I think she’s trying to snake them out from under us. She wouldn’t answer me honestly this morning,” my brows knit together as my features droop. I lift them as quickly as I can, “I think we need to do something,” I tell her, watching her brow furrow as she considers my words.

“That seems a bit extreme, hun. We’re all talking to everybody, right?” _Um, what? I really expected her to be more into it. She’s always got her claws out over Levi, anyway._

I backpedal a bit, “I’m just saying, we need to watch out for her,” before going right back into everything snakey Daisy’s done, “I’ve already had words. I asked her about Miles this morning. She pretended that she wasn’t already looking at Mason.” 

Jen looks at me surprised, and I want to learn the reason why, but I know she’ll tell me if I’m “friendly”, so that’s just what I do, “But I wanted to chat to you about it too,” I end with a reassuring smile, hoping she’ll see just what I’m trying to do to protect the both of us.

“Hey, is someone in there?”

My whole body freezes before I panickedly call out to the voice, “Ocupado, honey!” _What am I doing? There’s no way that’d ever work!_

“Who is it?” Jen asks the voice. _I think I have a guess._

“Um, Daisy?” It says, unsure. 

At it’s response, Jen’s eyes widen, and her voice comes out more nervous than I thought possible for someone so bubbly, “Oh shit! I mean,” she scrambles and I just stare back at her, unable to form an excuse. 

“Just a second, sweetie. We’ll be right out,” she calls to Daisy, who we hear take a few steps back into the bathroom, before Jen leans into me, hurriedly whispering, “Allegra, what do we do? She’s going to think we’re being snakey!” _Well, we kind of were, weren’t we? Or at least, that’s going to be how it looks._

“Just be cool, Jen. We weren’t doing anything wrong,” I whisper back before pulling the shower door open. _Right?_

Jen steps out first, stepping close to Daisy, “Hey, sweetie! You look fab,” she adds, taking in Daisy’s suit like she hasn’t been wearing it all day.

Daisy doesn’t even bother with the faux compliment, jumping into the inevitable conflict, “I heard you talking about me.”

“Babes, it’s not like that,” Jen nearly pleads.

She’s grasping at straws, and Daisy knows it, too, “Isn’t it? Because it seemed like you were digging me out behind my back.” Her words have more bite than I thought possible, since she’s usually so far from something like this, and I’m almost impressed, until I remember who it’s directed at.

“Listen, Daisy… After what you said this morning, I just wanted to reassure Jen. You know how she gets worried.” I can see Jen glaring at me out of the corner of my eye, but I don’t care. _Just take one for the team, babes._

Daisy doesn’t fall for it, instantly questioning me, “What do you mean?”

Jen jumps back in, probably trying to save herself from another of my excuses, “Hun, we’ve noticed how you’ve been looking at the other guys in here. And it’s not a big deal. We all have,” Jen smirks at that. _What happened to Levi?_ “But I think we’d all rather be open about it than sneak around behind each other’s backs.” _Wrong move, hun._

“So, nothing like what you guys were just doing to me, then?” Daisy says, sarcastic and suspicious.

“Listen, I know Allegra’s kind of touchy about whatever went down between you guys this morning.” _I’m so not!_ “But really, all we’re saying is…” Jen’s starting to stumble, and I think I know what she’s having trouble trying to say. _It’s the root of all of this, right?_ “We can all see things aren’t going well for you and Miles. And babes, that’s totally not your fault!” she hurriedly blurts out. _Well…_ “If we trust each other, we can be here for you and help you find someone that you’re really into,” Jen finishes, trying out a smile.

“Uh-huh. Sure,” Daisy quips. _Good effort, Jen._

Rather than follow Jen’s lead in trying to salvage our relationship, I figure it’s already past the point of no return, and decide to just work out how hard I’m going to need to fight, “Daisy, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she says it so fast and even you’d think she hadn’t caught us trying to work out how to beat her at her own game.

“OK, thanks.” Her cool tone’s caught me off guard, but I recover as best I can. “Why did you choose Miles? Do you really fancy him? Or did you just not want to end up with Jasper?”

She pauses for a long moment before answering, her voice soft and face contemplative. “I don’t know. It just all happened so fast. Maybe it was just because he seemed to actually want to stay. Maybe because he seemed fun yesterday. I’m not sure.”

“I get that. I don’t know what I would have done in your place.” And that’s the truth. _I had my sights set on Mason the second I saw him, and all the other boys melted into the background or served as entertainment._

Jen joins back in, “Yeah. No one’s saying you had it easy,” looking sympathetically at Daisy, who seems to bristle at the look.

She goes back to the problem between the three of us, “The thing is, neither of you trust me now.”

I’m the one to apologise now, even if I’m mainly trying to save face and exit this conversation, “We shouldn’t have been sneaking around like that. I’m sorry you caught us.”

She doesn’t accept it, “That’s not much of an apology,” she mutters under her breath, as her cheeks are covered with a slight blush, almost as if she’s embarrassed of the thought for some reason.

I brush past it, landing on a half-truth, because I don’t want to lie, “But we do trust you. I think the Villa can just make tensions a little bit higher, you know?”

Daisy seems to accept that reason, nodding slowly as Jen tells her we’re here for her. Again, a half-truth. _Half-truths don’t count._

We leave her in the bathroom, giving uncomfortable hugs on our way out, and make do with the rest of the afternoon.

I’m lounging in the living room when Talia’s voice rings through the Villa, “Guys! Text!”

I make my way to the kitchen to see everyone huddled around the counter. I sidle up to Mason, slipping between him and Daisy - who doesn’t even acknowledge me - as Jake begins to read out the text, “‘Islanders, it’s time to find out what kind of future your relationships have. A professional astrologer has studied your horoscopes, and analysed how compatible you are with your partner. Please head to the fire pit in couples to collect your results. Allegra and Mason will go first. #writteninthestars #whenplanetscollide’ _This is perfect! I can flaunt my relationship with Mason_ and _show off my astrological skills._

There’s some talk as everyone gets excited, but when Mason’s voice hits my ears it begins pulling me along, “Guess we’d better go find out what our future holds!” he throws over his shoulder, already headed onto the lawn where a podium sits.

I have to hurry after him in my heels, and he looks impatient as he waits for me to reach him, already holding an envelope with our names printed on it in fancy script.

“You ready?” he asks when I stop beside him, already opening the envelope.

“Oh, yeah, definitely. If you’re fire or air, we’re solid.”

He looks at me, mildly surprised, “How do you know all that? All I know is I’m an Aries, I think.”

“Perfect! What’s your moon, or rising?” I question him, leaning closer.

“Huh? Can’t we just open it up?” he says while fumbling with the envelope, his eyes eager.

“Yeah, of course, I just wanted to guess what’d it’d say. Some of my friends are really into astrology, so I know quite a bit, but we can talk later, I want to see what it says, too!” Now I’m all excited, too, and rushing through my words. I know it’s not perfect, but I still really enjoy astrology.

He pulls out a card and begins reading it, “‘Allegra, as an air sign you are analytical, clever, and are capable of any extremes of personality. Mason, as a fire sign you are confident, optimistic, and passionate, even if you can be quick to anger. Relationships of air and fire fuel one another, feeding the relationship. Air is fluid and changing, pushing the explosive and energetic fire forward, while being moved past their own constraints all the same. Like the fiery horizon where the paling sky meets the sea, you are matched for eternity.’ Cool,” he says, turning to me with a grin on his lips.

Talia and Jake are walking across the lawn now, so we move away from the podium to discuss the reading.

“So, that was really good, right?” Mason asks me once we’re far enough away.

I beam at him, “Yep! We got really lucky! But I want to know what your rising is, you don’t seem like much of an Aries.”

“I have no idea. I don’t even know what that means,” he responds, shaking his head.

“So, rising is, like, how others see you, and your sun sign - that’s the Aries - is basically what your personality is, and then moon is another one, and that’s, like, your emotions and stuff.” I stop to catch my breath and find him grinning at me. “What?” I shoot out defensively.

“Nothing, just like hearing people go off about their interests, you know. So, what’s your moon and rising?” 

“My rising is Scorpio, so that’s, like, what people would first see me as. And then my moon is Leo, which is fire, like your moon, so, like -” 

I’m interrupted by Tim, who’s making his way to us and calling Jake and Talia over too, while Daisy and Miles stand at the podium. “What’s going on, guys? What’d you get?” he turns to me and Mason as Talia and Jake arrive.

I smirk at them, mainly Erikah, before starting, “We’re matched for eternity.”

“Nice,” Talia grins, “Jake and I are okay, I guess. ‘Like the reeds that need nourishment from the stream to grow.’” She frowns slightly as she recites the reading.

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Jake says jokingly, and Talia’s face lifts.

“Yeah, you’re right, it’s pretty good.” She glances over at Daisy and Miles, who seem to be finished.

She calls out to them, “Oi, are you two done yet? We want to come and see what you got!”

Daisy leads the way in a short and flowy red dress, shouting back with, “Well, let me hear all about yours first. I want to know what Erikah got!”

Erikah grins at Daisy before blushing slightly, “Oh, I don’t think it means much.”

“She’s only saying that cos ours was right good,” Tim pops in.

“Well, what was it?” Daisy inquires.

“‘Like the passionate dance of two sun-bees,’” Tim cheekily grins at the group. _What the hell does that mean?_

Erikah looks just as shocked and confused as the rest of us, “ _Sunbeams_ , Tim!”

“Mate, what the fuck did you think a sun-bee was?” Mason says from behind me. I can’t help but nod along with an incredulous look covering my face.

“Anyway, tell us yours! What did it say?” Talia turns the attention back to Daisy.

She starts shifting on her feet and looks to the ground, “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Oh,” I hear Talia mumble.

Miles looks uncomfortable too, saying, “Actually, guys… I think we might need to talk about this one alone for a second.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Come on, let’s give these two a minute,” Jake says, beginning to direct everyone away from the pair.

Mason and I walk towards the Villa, slipping inside the kitchen with Talia and Jake just as Jen and Levi enter onto the lawn. I hear them call out greetings before their voices quiet.

We watch Jen awkwardly hug Daisy, who then speaks with Miles, before going inside the Villa, presumably to bed.

Everyone from the lawn soon joins us in the kitchen, and Erikah doesn’t even wait a second before bringing up whatever happened by the fire pit just now, “I can’t believe Miles!” she scowls.

“Why? What happened?” Mason asks, leaning against the counter.

“They broke up!” she shouts out.

_Woah. First breakup goes to Daisy. Would not have guessed that yesterday._

Mason keeps questioning, “Really? Was it because of the astrology stuff?”

Jake shakes his head. “I just don’t think they’re right together. Not really anyone’s fault, these things just happen.”

“I don’t think that’s totally true,” Jen says while sipping the glass of water she’s retrieved.

I jump in too, “Yeah, they could have tried a bit more. Daisy didn’t try much during the challenge. Relationships take work. Especially on Love Island.”

Jen nods along with me and Levi shrugs, throwing in a “that’s true.”

Erikah frowns at me and I catch the way Tim’s face starts to fall before Mason speaks up, “Nah, I’m with Jake. Some stuff just doesn’t work out. Besides, Miles is the problem, not Daisy.”

“Exactly!” Talia jumps on the chance to trash Miles, “He was such a jerk today!”

Erikah grabs onto the opportunity to defend her friend, “Even last night! She said he just ignored her after the coupling up!”

“Yeah, he’s not been the best partner,” Tim adds.

“I guess that’s fair. Daisy seemed to want it to work,” Jen says, glancing at me as she does.

“Well, do we know who broke up with who?” I ask.

No one says anything for a moment, some looking to Erikah for an answer. She slightly shakes her head before Mason comes to her defense, “Doesn’t matter much, does it? It’s not like he didn’t give her plenty of reasons to do it herself.”

I concede, not wanting to end up on the opposite side of Mason, “Yeah, okay. Alright.” The debate ends and everyone starts telling Jen and Levi what they missed, and the two share the details of their date. Jen doesn’t mention champagne but there was clearly a lot. _Lucky._

After a few yawns ripple through the group there’s a consensus that we all should probably get ready for bed.

The other girls and I head straight for the dressing room, while the guys spend a moment picking up glasses from wine and water. In the bedroom, Daisy’s curled up alone in her bed, already asleep, and Miles is nowhere to be found, probably already on the sofa.

I change into pajamas, take my make-up off, and throw my hair up in a bun after brushing through it while Jen babbles about what tomorrow might bring.

Mason’s already in bed when I walk into the room, so I slide in next to him, watching the others getting situated for a few moments. Everyone’s quieted down, and I’m starting to lay down when I glance over at Daisy once more, who’s stretched out at this point, her hair splaying across her pillow as her quiet face looks to the ceiling.

I slip down into the sheets and press myself into Mason’s arms, ready to be done with this messy day and hoping for a better tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some fun with the zodiac stuff lol, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3!

Loud snores ripple through the room, starting from directly beside me.

I groan and turn towards Mason, trying to roll him onto his side to shut him up, but I can’t move anything other than his shoulder.

“Oh my god, shut up!” Tim shouts from across the room.

I’m still trying to heave Mason over when Jake butts in, “I think he’s fast asleep.”

“Who even is it?” Tim shouts out again.

At this point I’ve given up on moving him, so I respond, “It’s Mason. I can’t roll him over. He’s too heavy,” I scowl at his sleep-covered face and open mouth.

A pillow flies over a few beds and hits Mason directly in the face. _Wow, good aim._ “Job done.” Tim sounds proud of his efforts.

“You idiot! That was my pillow!” Erikah yells at the bloke.

I’m still upset from being woken up, so I don’t bother to join in with the laughter that breaks out across the room.

I head into the dressing room, picking out my suit for the day and brushing my hair as I wait for the shower to clear out. 

I don’t have time to fret about the lost sleep, because Jen soon joins me, dressed and ready to do her make-up. “Hey, babes,” she starts rifling through her bag.

“How’s your morning been so far?” I ask.

“Not too bad. Aside from the snoring of course,” she laughs while sorting through her products. “I’m terrible with mornings,” she continues, “Though, Levi was sweet! He said he’d make me a smoothie!” _Can’t say he’s not good at what he does._ “Thanks for asking, hun!” she finishes.

“No problem! That’s what friends are for, right?” _At this point, I think she’s my only friend._

“Totally!” she beams at me as she finishes styling her hair. “Well, I’ll see you later, yeah? I’m gonna go find my guy and my smoothie!” she practically skips out of the dressing room. _Whatever floats your boat, hun._

By now the shower’s cleared out and I finish my morning routine, skirting past Miles at the bathroom sink on my way out. _It's too early in the morning to work out what to make of him._

I haven’t seen or heard Mason getting ready yet, so I walk to the bedroom to make sure he’s up. I’m standing in the hallway when I hear his voice. 

It’s not until I get close enough to hear who he’s talking to that I freeze, “I’m not sure Allegra likes me…” I roll my eyes at her words. _Aw, hun, what made you think that?_ But I still shift awkwardly on my feet.

Mason’s voice is quick to respond, “It’s… yeah, I mean…” he pauses for a moment. “She’s fun, and she’s got the banter, so she’s completely my type on paper -” _You bet I am_ “- but…” _Uh oh._ “I mean, of all the girls here, like, she wouldn’t be my number one choice.”

I can tell my face has scrunched up in frustration, hurt, and anger when her voice causes steam to start billowing from my ears, “So who is your number one choice?”

 _She’s acting_ oblivious _?!_ ”Well, it's… it’s you. It’s always been you, ever since day one,” he chuckles awkwardly at the admission.

Her voice comes out uneasy, maybe uncomfortable, “You’re with Allegra…” _Damn right he is._

He starts to stumble at that, “Well, yeah, I mean… Right now, yeah… And we’ve had a really good time… Look, let’s see how it plays out, alright?” his confidence seems to have bounced back, “No need to rush it. Don’t forget me, yeah?” I can tell from here he’s doing something cheesy.

“Forget about who?” she answers with a slight laugh.

“Oh, you’re cold. I like that,” I grimace at that. “Anyway, this is nice and all, but I should really get up and get ready. Although I’d much rather just stay here all day...” _Can you really not stay away from her for five minutes?_

“Off you go, then.”

“Alright. I’ll see you around, yeah?” I turn the corner and watch him bound out of the room, probably feeling lighter than air over his confession.

I turn to watch Daisy and find her staring back at me. She glances away from me when our eyes meet and I feel disappointment simmer inside myself. _I’ll tell her off next chance I get._

She hurries off to the dressing room and I follow a few moments later after collecting my thoughts. _Next chance._

I find her sorting through her hair products in a white bikini, and decide to not even bother with small talk, as I don’t think I could get through it, “Can we have a word?”

“Sure, what about?” she turns to me as if I’m not about to dig her out to her face.

Again, her nonchalance catches me off guard and I briefly stumble, “Thanks,” I dive back in, “Look, this isn’t, like, fun for either of us -” _Well, maybe for you_ “- I just want to ask you directly, woman to woman. Obviously you’re single now, and that’s, like, a real shame -” _Half-truths don’t count_ “- I don’t want to play mind games so I’m just going to ask you. I want to know who you’re going to be grafting on today. Just, like, so we understand each other,” I finish off, her gaze causing me to stumble again. _What is it with this girl?_

“I mean, it’s pretty obvious what you want to know,” she mumbles, like it’s mainly to herself. “I might spend some time with Mason.” _Ugh._ “But it’s not like I can avoid him either,” she continues as fast as she can, “I’m not trying to start anything, but I’m not responsible for Mason, babes,” she says, her voice, her face, and her eyes soft.

But I’m not about to forget what she just said because she’s looking at me like that, “Wow. You just came right out and said it.” I’m still processing the abruptness followed by her cool gaze, “OK. All’s fair in love and war, I guess. Obviously I’m going to try and stop you, but, like, I appreciate your honesty,” _Full truth. I admire her actually being honest for once. I know that lies get easier the more you tell._

I leave her to finish getting ready for the day, spending a while just wandering throughout the Villa. I eventually stop next to Jen in the kitchen, who offers me an orange. I take it and sit down next to her. 

“You okay, hun?” she asks me gently.

“Yeah, just a bit of an off morning,” I say, directing as much of my attention onto peeling the orange in front of me.

She leaves me be, focusing on her own orange.

It’s not long before “Guys, I got a text!” rings through the Villa, before several more shouts follow suit. _We get it!_

“What does it say?” Jen calls from beside me as we hurry over.

“Oh my god, you guys…” Daisy starts. “‘Islanders, it’s time to get arty. In today’s challenge, you’ll have three minutes to create masterpieces…’” _Okay…_ “‘using your partner as a paintbrush.’” _What?_ “‘The girls will get the boys loaded with body paint, and the boys will transfer that paint to canvas. The couple who produce the best painting will receive a makeover before new Islanders arrive this evening. #artandgraft #buttitisart #newislandersincoming’”

“New Islanders! What?” Jen shouts out again.

“New people! Oh my god! Best news ever. No offence to you guys, obviously.” _Some offence._

Miles joins in, “Painting, eh? I hope they have purple. I look good in purple,” he smirks.

Tim says something but it’s not until Jen’s concerned voice responds that I zone into the conversation, “You look kind of solemn, Big T. Everything alright?”

“Gosh… This is a serious moment in my life. I have dreamed about this for a long time.” _Uh… What?_

“What? You’re acting super weird,” Jen still sounds concerned.

“Suffice it to say… Being a human paintbrush has been on my top ten sexy fantasy list ever since I was 18,” he smirks. _Yeah, I’m done with this conversation._

I turn to Talia and share a couple words about the challenge while we catch snippets of Tim’s disgusting story involving paint, a vibrator, and a canvas.

We move along to the challenge platform, finding giant canvases spread across the area, with buckets of paint spread near them.

We divide into our couples, Mason and I picking a canvas on the left. Once everyone’s ready, Levi counts us down. 

I use my hands to scoop red paint onto Mason’s chest, a smirk breaking across my lips the entire time.

I start putting paint on his collarbone, and he yelps, “Oh man, it’s so cold!”

“It’s going to look amazing, though, babes. Fight through it!” I tell him, moving to get paint on his back.

“Okay, but what am I even painting?” he asks after I slide my hand across his broad shoulders.

 _Oh this’ll be fun._ “Why don’t you paint…” I lean in towards his ear, “your _favorite_ thing about me?” I whisper as flirtatiously as I can.

He turns back to me, “Alright. But you better turn around. I want it to be a surprise,” he smirks at me.

I nod, turning around as he steps onto the canvas. I’m facing the others now, watching the guys squirm on their canvases and the girls watching, directing, or retrieving more paint. Daisy’s standing with a bucket of paint, watching Miles fling purple and blue across the canvas.

She glances up and meets my gaze, a small, gentle smile tugging her lips upwards. I look away, unable to figure out how to respond to the puzzling sight. _We fought this morning, why even bother being polite?_

After a full three minutes of the guys wiggling around in paint, we join together in the centre of the challenge platform, Mason calling out, “Right, lads. Let’s see what we’ve got!” from beside me.

We start in one of the left side’s corners, at Daisy and Miles’ canvas, which is covered in blues, yellows, and purples all mixed together in a jumble.

“You know, I’m actually quite pleased with that,” Miles says with a prideful smile.

“But what actually is it?” Levi says with a raised eyebrow. _I hate that I agree with him. This looks like a disaster._

“It’s not supposed to be anything,” he says indignantly. “It represents the intensity of sex… Limbs everywhere, tangled bedsheets, the roll and tumble… The pure spirit of energy and lust,” he finishes with that same prideful smile. _Wow. Who knew Miles was so deep?_

“Don’t take all the credit. It was my idea,” Daisy laughs.

We spend another short moment inspecting the painting before Jake directs us along to the other paintings.

We end up at Mason and I’s canvas next, which I haven’t actually looked at before.

_Holy fuck. What the hell, Mason?!_

Mason looks pleased with himself when he addresses the group, “Allegra told me to paint my favorite thing about her.”

“What, so you painted a pair of balls?” I shout at him, both incredulously and furiously.

He looks appalled at the accusation, “No, your butt! It’s a butt!” he says defensively. _That’s not much better. I was hoping for my eyes or something sweet, not my ass._

I frown at him, “It looks like balls.”

“Yeah, those are balls,” Talia pipes up. _No shit_.

Daisy squints and tilts her head, like she’s trying to find an angle that will make it better, “It’s very…” she pauses, looking for the right word, “angry,” she finishes.

After a very awkward and way too long silence, Tim shouts, “Next!”

We move along to Jen and Levi’s which is… interesting.

“I was trying to do, like, a golden sunset,” Levi kicks the ground awkwardly.

Jen frowns and throws him a frustrated expression, “I look like a cheeto.”

“Yeah, and in the painting!” Tim throws out, before Jake directs him and everyone else along to his and Talia’s painting. It’s a paintbrush.

The couple discusses the unique painting while I glance around the group. Mason meets my eye and smiles, and I do the same. I catch Miles watching us before we move along to Tim and Erikah’s.

“Ours is called Hot Mess!” Tim says, his hands on his hips and chest puffed out.

“It’s meant to represent, like, the struggle to express true individuality in this age of commodified identity,” Erikah adds from beside Tim. _Huh?_

“Mate, I was just trying to get paint everywhere,” Tim says with a confused expression on his face.

“What other option do we have in life?” Erikah responds quizzically.

Jen looks ready to move on, “Right then, time to take a shower.” _Yes, please._

“Oh, wait I have a text,” Jake calls out, “‘Islanders, it’s time to decide the winners of today’s challenge. Please vote by text for the couple whose painting you think is best. The winners will get to dress up for a neon colour party for two new Islanders, so please keep your body paint on until then. #oneforthegirls #onefortheboys #lovinglife’” _Woah. This is going to be bad._

“Aaah! New arrivals!” Erikah squeals.

Jen scowls, crossing her arms across herself, “Right. Typical. New arrivals, and I’m bright orange, and not allowed to wash it off.”

“So, we should vote,” Miles suggests.

“Right, yeah,” Jen says before pulling Levi aside to their canvas.

I follow suit, grabbing Mason’s arm and hurrying him over to the awful painting with our names attached to it.

“So, who should we vote for?” he asks me.

“Hmm.” _Talia’s a ‘no,’ with that ridiculous paintbrush. And Erikah’s and Daisy’s are just messes. But Levi’s attempt at Jen isn’t winning any awards. either._

“I think we should vote for Miles and Daisy.” _Of course you do._

“I don’t know. It wasn’t really… anything. I don’t even know what it was.”

He beams at me, “That’s the whole point of conceptual art, right? To get you thinking? To have an interesting meaning?”

“I guess…”

“So we’re voting for Daisy? I don’t think anyone else has a better one.”

 _No way are we voting for your little crush._ “I think we should vote for Jen,” I tell him, looking him directly in the eye.

“Really? But it was just a lot of orange.”

“I think the sentiment was sweet. It has a cute meaning, right? And isn’t the point? To have a cool meaning?”

“I mean, okay,” he mutters before typing in our vote. We gather back with the others.

Erikah starts babbling about the new Islanders, Jen complimenting her paint choice.

I catch Miles glancing at me again, and spark up a conversation, _because why not?_ “You actually look really good in purple, Miles.”

He grins at me. _He’s actually got a pretty nice smile._ “Thanks! Daisy made the right choice there,” he smirks at her. _Of course she’s getting the attention back._

She just gives him a small, polite smile, before we’re directed back to the Villa.

I fall into step beside Jen, “So what’d you think of the challenge?”

“It was really fun! Well, except for Levi’s cheeto painting of me,” her mouth dips into a frown.

“Hey, even cheeto-Jen is adorable,” I say, to try and cheer her up.

It seems to work, “Aw, thanks babes! And Mason was way out of line with those stupid balls.”

I give her a smile and she beams back at me. We continue in silence for a moment before I catch Mason and Daisy talking. He pulls her aside, letting the others move past them so they can speak alone.

Mason looks like he’s struggling to say something, and Daisy is just looking back at him with a raised eyebrow.

I’m close enough now that I can hear what he’s trying to tell her, “I just wanted to say…”

“Wanted to say what?” I chime in, hoping to end this right here and tell Daisy off for the last time.

“Oh, hey babe. Nothing, I was just talking to Daisy.” _Yeah, right._

 _Time to sort this out once and for all._ I sigh, taking a moment before addressing Mason, “We need to talk, honey.”

“Really? Again?” Daisy looks at me, a light worry creasing her face.

My lips purse as my eyebrows knit together, “Not me and you. Me and him,” I hiss at her. _Just mind your damn business._

I don’t wait for her to respond, taking hold of Mason’s forearm and pulling him behind me and into the Villa’s kitchen.

“What do we need to talk about?” he looks at me with concern.

 _Is he truly this dense?_ “You and Daisy,” I say firmly.

His eyebrows shoot up, “What do you mean ‘me and Daisy?’”

“I know you’d rather be with her. And she hasn’t exactly hidden her interest in you, either.”

He tries to say something but I don’t let him, “But we’re coupled up. So I need to be your priority.”

He stutters for a moment, “I - uh, woah. Okay, but you are. We’re coupled up. I’m just chatting with Daisy. Same with you and Jen.”

 _Are you kidding me? Do you really think I’d buy that?_ “I’m not trying to couple up with Jen! Ugh!” I groan before taking a deep breath. “You know what, if you aren’t going to be honest, I’m done here.”

I turn on my heel and stride out of the kitchen. I see Daisy standing on the lawn near the fire pit, looking around the Villa’s grounds. 

I sidle up to her, “Um, Daisy, can we have a word?”

She looks at me, her face neutral but her eyes uneasy, “I thought you were having a word with Mason already?” 

“Yeah, but he’s being an idiot.” _Understatement of the year._ “I need to talk to you. I know you said, like, you’re cracking on with Mason, and there’s nothing I can do to stop you and everything,” her face briefly scrunches up like she’s annoyed, “but…” _Might as well go all in._ “Babes, I’m asking you to cool it off. I’m sick of looking over my shoulder and seeing you there,” I can tell my face has started to reflect the growing anger in my voice.

“Allegra, if you have a problem, maybe you should take it up with Mason?” she says, the lilt at the end of her sentence betraying the cool exterior she’s clearly attempting to convey.

 _You can’t just get rid of me!_ “You’re so snakey!” I shout at her. “You totally dodged my question yesterday when I told you to leave Mason alone. I gave you the benefit of the doubt then, but I realise that was foolish now,” I feel hurt growing inside me once I say that. _I don’t like being made to look like an idiot, okay?_

She sighs, looking to the few feet of space between us before responding, “Look, Mason is in charge of his own life. I’ve heard your piece, and he probably should, too. You’re the ones that are together. Why aren’t you having this conversation with him?” she tilts her head and looks at me with a mixture of annoyance and frustration and some of that stupid concern from two days ago, too. 

_But I’m not letting her get away with this._ “Listen. If I’ve learned one thing in my life, it’s cherchez la femme,” I say with a smirk as I eye her up. _And I think I’ve found her._

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she shoots back with as close to a snarl as I’ve ever seen her get.

I start to stumble at the expression that’s split across her usually collected face, “Listen, Daisy!” I manage to get out. “It’s…” 

I start to trail off before I’m cut off completely by Mason, “Dudes! Can you please chill?” 

_Of course! As if this couldn’t get any worse!_ “Hah! Always first to try and break up the fight, aren’t you?” I glare at him.

He looks back at me with a glint in his eyes, the same worried and even panicked gleam from back in the kitchen, “Look, Allegra, you’re being out of line. None of this is Daisy’s fault”, he starts, waving his hands in the air to try and diffuse the tension in it.

“Don’t even try it, Mason!” I cut him off. _I am so done with this!_ “You can’t deny that you’ve spent a lot of time with Daisy.” _Even if you’ve tried to._

“I’ve been trying to spend time with everyone, babe!” The panic in his eyes has grown.

“Remember how you were all cosy this morning in the bedroom? Having your little morning graft when everyone else was getting ready? Where’s my cosy little tet-a-tet?” I can feel the hurt in my voice betraying my attempts to keep it hidden, wrapped in the anger on my face.

I catch Daisy watching me, that ridiculous worry back in her gaze. _What a bitch! Trying to be the sweetheart while I’m in a mess! Again, too!_

“Come on, guys, chill out, please…” Mason begins to plead.

“How dare you tell me to chill out!” I snap at him. “Whose side are you even on?” 

“No side! I’m on no side!” he rushes the words out, but they still hit all the same.

 _I’m not even worth defending to him._ “Well, you should be on my side!” I throw at him, “That’s your problem, Mason. You’re always in the middle. You never side with anyone!” _This isn’t working. I can’t keep yelling, I can’t keep being his second choice, or his back-up. I said I wouldn’t do that again, and I meant it._ “I… I think maybe we should break up.”

“I… I don’t…” he says softly.

“Because we’re supposed to be a couple and you can’t even back me up.” _Because you don’t want to._ I almost say it aloud but just barely hold it back. “Ugh… I don’t even know where my head’s at right now. I was feeling so good about me and Mason -” _All the cheesy winks and smirks really got to my head_ “- but now it’s like… totally ruined,” I finish with a sigh.

Daisy takes a breath before taking a step towards us, drawing both of our gazes, “Allegra, you and Mason can totally make it work.” _What is she doing?_ “I’m sorry if you think I’ve been acting snakey.” I internally scoff at that. “But if you want to make it work, you can make it work. You guys have some stuff to work out between you, but you clearly care a lot about this relationship. That’s the most important thing.” _Is it though? I don’t even know anymore._

“I… I don’t even know. What do you think, Allegra?” Mason turns back to me, his whole face a jumble of thoughts and feelings.

 _Maybe she’s right. I mean, it can’t hurt to try, right?_ “I think Daisy’s right. I think we should try to make this work.”

“Alright,” Mason says with a gentle smile.

“OK.” I smile back and catch Daisy slipping away out of the corner of my eye. She looks relieved, oddly. “We have a lot of stuff to talk about, though.”

We stand for a few moments, just looking at each other, before I suggest we talk inside. We make our way to the roof terrace for some quiet.

We sit down next to each other, a few inches between us for a moment, not speaking, just staring out across the sky.

 _Looks like I’ll have to kick this off._ “So…” I trail off.

“Yeah,” he sighs. “I’m sorry. I just - I’m not about to take a side when no one’s right or wrong. I get why you’re upset. But Daisy’s not at fault.”

 _Stop defending her!_ “She kinda is though. She’s told me directly that she’s been trying to graft you,” I shift in my seat, trying to keep my cool.

“She has?” he looks shocked.

“Yeah! What, are you excited she’s into you?” I glare at him.

He just sighs again, “No. I’m just confused why she’d say that. She’s just been friendly and - and decent, I guess.” He turns to me, his eyes sad, “Look, I’m sorry for grafting her. But she never really said anything back, honestly.”

_Maybe nothing that you noticed. But I’m tired of this. I don’t want to do this stupid fighting anymore. If we fix it, we fix it. And if we don’t… Then that’s that._

“Okay. Let’s just, try to move on,” I stand up from the bench before turning around to face him once again, “Just - make me your priority. Because you’ve been mine.”

He nods and I turn on my heel, striding through the Villa and back onto the lawn. 

I slump down on a lounger across from Jen and she turns to me, “Hey babes. Doing okay?”

I just groan and lay back, closing my eyes and trying to enjoy the sun.

I stay there for as long as I can, trying to sort out my thoughts and ignore the rest of the Villa.

 _I’m not going to be someone’s second pick. But I still really like him. And he did seem really sorry. But what does it matter if Daisy isn’t going to butt out of our couple? God, I can’t stand that snake. It’s like she can’t stop being the centre of attention and pulling Mason into her orbit or whatever. Ugh._ And _I’m still covered in paint._

A shout from the pool pulls me from my thoughts, “Guys, I got a text!”

“Guys! Text!” Daisy repeats. _Was that really necessary?_

I walk over, shouting to them as I do, “What is it? Can we wash this paint off yet?” 

“Here it is…” Miles starts reading out the text, “‘Islanders - the winners of the painting competition are Daisy and Miles.’” _Of course they are. Great job, Mason._ “‘They may now wash their paint off and get ready for the party. Everyone else must stay as they are.’” _Seriously?_ “‘The new Islanders will be arriving soon. #newislanders #bittersweetwin #artandgraft’”

“Wait, we have to meet the new Islanders while looking like this?” I gesture to my red-covered body.

“Oh my god, this is a nightmare,” Erikah whines, her voice exasperated.

“At least you’re in nice colours! I’m orange!” Jen shoots a glare at her.

Daisy tries to change the subject, “I guess everyone liked ours,” she grins at Miles.

“I don’t know about that. I didn’t vote for you, but some people must have,” I shoot her the most challenging look I can.

“Well, they liked ours more than whatever it was Mason managed,” Miles fires back. _Now he’s defending her, too?!_

“I guess my art skills have finally paid off in here,” Daisy says proudly, beaming at Miles again, probably pleased that she doesn’t have to deal with me.

“Listen, I’m glad you two are getting along -” _Okay, now that’s a lie._ “- but we don’t have much time. We should get ready.” 

“This evening is going to be amazing,” he smirks at me.

I smirk back, because why not? _Mason gets two picks, I should, too. And that purple does look good._

I turn around before they can say anything else, already trying to figure out what the hell I’m going to wear with this paint.

I dig through my suitcase, looking for the short, dark grey and sleeved dress I know I packed.

I pull it out with a smirk, and slide it on in the bathroom, strutting into the dressing room to do my hair and make-up.

As we’re finishing up, Jake sticks his head into the room, “We’re headed to the roof terrace, whenever you girls are done.”

Jen and Erikah hurriedly finish their make-up before following the rest of us to the terrace. We line up against the wall of the terrace, looking out over the front entrance of the Villa.

“So excited! Maybe one of these arrivals is the boy for me!” Erikah squeals. I breathe an internal sigh of relief at the distance between us as she bounces up and down on the opposite side of the roof.

“I just hope they’ve got banter, whoever they are,” Mason says from beside me. 

“I think… I think someone’s coming?” Miles shouts out, pointing to an incoming jeep.

A man eagerly jumps out, waving his arms as he yells to us, “Hey everybody! I can’t wait to meet you all!”

“He seems chipper,” Jen comments.

“Look at him! He’s well excited,” Jake laughs.

Another car pulls up, an elegant woman with fire-red hair sliding out.

“Hey boys!” _Yeah, she’s trouble._

“Whoa,” Levi breathes out.

“What do you mean, ‘whoa?’” Jen turns to him.

“I just mean, like… Nothing,” he stumbles out.

I catch Daisy watching with a raised eyebrow before turning away from the terrace wall, adjusting her hair slightly.

As everyone starts moving to the door, I get pushed to the back of the group, beside Jen, who still looks annoyed with Levi.

I nudge her shoulder with my own and she beams at me before we follow everyone inside and back out onto the lawn. 

We gather around the new Islanders, who are standing by a table near the pool. Jen immediately makes her way over to the table, pulling champagne from a bucket and pouring everyone drinks. 

She hands me one first, as everyone’s chatter dies down. _And that’s what friends are for._

The new girl is the first to address the group, “Oh my god, it’s so good to finally meet you all! I’m Cherry!” _Of course she matched her hair to her name._

“And I’m Rohan! I can’t believe we’re here!” the guy beams at everyone.

“Have you guys met before?” Jen inquires, passing out the last of the champagne to the two of them.

“No, just now,” Cherry says as she sips her glass.

“Have you been watching the show?” Tim shouts from somewhere in the cluster.

Rohan answers him, looking through the mess of people before him, “Yeah, of course.”

“So you already know us all!” Erikah shouts excitedly.

Cherry nods, “Kind of, yeah.” 

Daisy actually asks something useful, “Who are your favorites?”

“Yeah, that’s the right question!” Erikah pounces. _Well now I regret the compliment._ Erikah keeps going, “Who do you think’s the hottest guy in the Villa?” she bites her lip at Rohan. _She could at least try to not be so obvious._

“Hmm… I think… It’s a toss up between Mason, and Levi,” Cherry answers, a devilish look in her eyes as they snap between the two. _Of fucking course._

I angle myself between her and Mason as casually as I can, while Jen looks proud about the situation and the boys cheer.

“But my mind could be changed, you know,” she smirks. “You’re all much bigger in person. What about you, Rohan?” she breaks her gaze from the boys to face him.

“Oh, it’s easy for me. I’d love to get to know Daisy,” he beams at her, before turning to me, “But, tonight Allegra is also looking smoking in that dress.” _I like this boy._

“Typical Daisy,” I say as I roll my eyes. _Can’t get anything right, can she? Not this, not me and Mason this afternoon, not Miles._

“What do you mean by that?” she turns on me with a scowl.

I just smile sweetly at her, “What do I mean by what, love?”

“You just said ‘typical Daisy,’” she frowns at me.

“Oh, I just mean, like… It’s nothing, babes,” I hold her gaze, the sickly sweet grin never leaving my face, and the furrowed brows never leaving hers.

It’s not until Mason pulls me along that our eyes break apart, and some unintelligible feeling fills me for the first few moments afterwards. Mason’s words pull me back to reality, “Come on, let’s say hi!”

We walk up to the two new Islanders, Mason making a beeline for Cherry.

She beams at him, “Hey!” _Try and keep it in your pants._

I turn to Rohan, who Erikah’s finally let go of, “Hey, so it’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too! That dress is amazing, by the way! I know the paint’s kind of weird, but you make it work,” he smiles. _I think he’s just being friendly, but he’s got the right idea._

I smile back at him, “So what do you do?”

That gets him smiling brighter, “I’m a psychology student! But really, I’ve always wanted to be, like, a circus performer!” _That’s… unique, I guess._

“Oh, woah. So, what, like, an animal tamer or tightrope walker?”

“Kind of! I’m really into acrobatic stuff! What about you? Got any weird hobbies?”

“Well, I work as a cocktail entrepreneur, but I guess I spend my time on some weird stuff, too. Like astrology, or I’ve been really into medieval wars and calligraphy lately.”

“Oh I have some mates that are really into history!”

We talk for a few more minutes about varying topics before Jake comes up, looking to introduce himself. Mason’s still talking to Cherry - _unfortunately_ \- so I spend a while moving around the ‘party’ that just has a few more drinks, people, and nice clothes than this afternoon did.

I’m talking with Talia and Jen when I catch Miles looking my way as he talks with Rohan and Mason. The latter of which doesn’t seem to notice.

I smile at him and get one in return before moving my gaze across the lawn. Daisy is curled up in a bean bag, her legs tucked against her and an arm propping up her head, talking with Tim and Erikah like she usually is when she’s not grafting on someone’s man.

After a few more drinks it’s pretty clear the party’s over, and everyone starts making their way into the Villa. 

I’m taking my make-up off in the dressing room when Cherry plops down beside me, “Hi babes! How was your night?”

I shrug, not looking forward to conversing with someone who wants my guy, “Okay, I guess. Yours?”

She beams excitedly, “Great! The Villa’s amazing! And so are the boys,” she bites her lip as she pulls products out of a small bag. _Will she ever stop with the boy talk?_

I just smile and nod before hurrying through the rest of my evening routine.

I walk into the bedroom, where some of the Islanders are still moving about.

I slip into bed beside Mason, and he moves closer, wrapping an arm around me. _Guess today wasn’t a big deal._

I let him pull me against him, listening to the other Islanders settle for the night.

Jen calls out, “Such a relief to finally wash that body paint off! Night, everybody!” as the room quiets down.

“Goodnight!” Miles calls from a bed he and Daisy still aren’t sharing. _Even though today actually went pretty well for them._ That weird feeling hits me again before more shouts manage to shake it from me.

“I’m so excited for the morning, you guys!”

“Sleep well, everyone!”

“Apologies if I snore!”

“If you snore, I’m going to go get into bed with Daisy instead!” I cringe at the thought, but must admit it sounds like a decent alternative to being woken up by Mason’s obnoxious snoring again.

A few more murmurs and “goodnights” ripple through the room as everyone starts to drift off.

I lay awake for a while longer, considering today and tomorrow, _Hopefully Mason and I can actually move past today. He’s been eager to, at least. But with the new Islanders there will be a recoupling, right? Even without them, it’s been long enough for one. I better go before Daisy. I don’t stand much of a chance if I don’t._

_Today was weird for her, too. We fought a lot and she still felt like she had to keep me and Mason together, probably to avoid being mean. Though, she didn’t have much of a problem tonight, with that look after I called her out. That was well earned._

And with that I fall into another restless sleep, unable to relax around so many people, but finding some solace in the bloke laying beside me. And the idea of Daisy’s glaring eyes from earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I can see Allegra being into calligraphy, and medieval stuff (maybe it's just because she's a fancy bitch that I want to see with a sword), but I do, so I threw it in. We'll see!
> 
> Also, I know I've totally forgotten about the Beach Hut. I can go back and add scenes if it's bothering anyone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4!

I wake up bright and early. Too early. Especially for a hungover day. But now I can’t fall back asleep.

So I drag myself out of bed, leaving a sleeping Mason on his own and get ready early, taking the time to shower and wash my hair even though I don’t need to. 

By the time I’m done, many of the other Islanders have risen, going about each of their morning routines. 

Cherry tries to spark a conversation with a very grumpy Jen, to my amusement.

Jen shuts her down sharply, albeit unintentionally, and Cherry spends the rest of her time in the dressing room silent. _That’ll teach her._

I leave the two to their uncomfortable silence, slipping into the bedroom to check on Mason. 

He’s still fast asleep, the duvet pulled tightly around him and his face buried in his pillow.

I leave him be, moving to the kitchen instead. 

I open the fridge, looking for something small to eat for breakfast. I spot a bunch of grapes and pull off some, placing them on a paper towel and sitting at the counter. 

I eat in peace for a moment, listening to the sounds of the Villa, sounds that have become oddly familiar in the last few days.

Creaking floorboards, whirring hair dryers, distant shower taps, laughing from the poolside, and a low murmur of constant conversation.

I revel in the noises and my drifting thoughts run through the day before, analysing every movement, every word out of Daisy’s mouth as she attempted to repair the relationship she’d spent two days trying to break up.

_She has to stop with that bullshit sweetheart act at some point._

Speaking of camera-shy snakes, Daisy walks into the kitchen, wearing a white suit with more of those stupid straps. _She seriously looks ridiculous. Why are there so many on your hips?_

“Oh my god, look who it is,” I say with as much sarcasm as I can muster. _Of course she had to ruin my breakfast._

She winces slightly before her expression sombers, “Hey, Allegra, I…”

“What, have you come to say sorry? I’m not dealing with this right now,” I tell her, grabbing my grapes and walking out to the lawn.

I find myself an empty lounger and finish my grapes with my legs crossed in front of me, my paper towel resting before them, trying to enjoy the rest of my morning without Daisy butting in again.

After throwing out what’s left of my grape breakfast, I join some of the others around the pool, sitting as far from Daisy as I can, and I enjoy the sun alongside my fellow hungover Islanders.

“Guys, I got a text!” Jen shouts loudly. Too loudly.

I groan as Rohan yells too, “Text! We got a text!”

“Ah! So excited!” Talia calls as she runs over from the sun loungers.

“Read it!” Levi instructs. _I think she was getting there._

“‘Islanders, Get ready for a game of Spin the Bottle with a twist.’” _Ooh._ “‘Tonight, there will be a recoupling. The girl who wins the challenge will be given first pick.’” _I take back my 'ooh.' This is not a good challenge._ “‘#youspinmerightaround #bottleit #breathmintsattherready,’” Jen finishes reading out the hashtags as the rest of us just stand there, shell-shocked.

“Oh. My. God,” I manage to get out.

Rohan looks ecstatic, “Amazing!”

“For you!” I fire at the bloke, who looks at me, seemingly upset, before turning to the crowd of assembled Islanders.

“What, you guys don’t like the challenge?”

“Oh no, the challenge seems fun, mate. I think it’s the recoupling that’s got us shocked,” Jake answers him, clapping a hand on his shoulder as he does.

Rohan grins up at him, “Whichever way tonight goes, no changing it, right? So let’s just enjoy today!” and with that he runs off to the front of the Villa, presumably making his way to the challenge platform.

The rest of us are still working out what tonight may bring when we reach the platform moments later, and find a massive bottle of champagne on a spinner. _If only it was real. I could use a drink right now._

We spread out and take places around the massive bottle, sharing glances at those around us and smirks at who we want to kiss.

I look to Mason, and find him staring in the direction of Cherry and Daisy, who are chatting on the opposite side from me, but are just a few spots away, or directly next to him.

I frown at him, but he doesn’t even notice me.

The chatter between the Islanders eventually dies down as everyone starts waiting expectantly for the game to begin.

Jen tries to hype us all up for the challenge, “Come on, everybody! Get ready! Woo!” _Babes, not now._

She stops when no one else joins in, and Mason volunteers to go first, probably to break the tension still lingering in the air from the text.

And, of course, he spins Daisy. “Amazing.” _Excuse me?_

He walks over to her and she gives him a short little peck, and I swear I catch her glancing in my direction. _At least she can control herself when I’m around. Can’t say the same for when they’re alone, though._

Cherry’s up next and spins Mason. I feel my face heating as they kiss for far too long. I shoot daggers at her as she makes her way back to her spot. _Snakes. Everywhere._

I go next, and aim for Mason, to show him what he’s already got, but it lands on…

Tim. _Tim?! Gross!_

“Get in!” he calls out.

“What? No! I’m not kissing _Tim_!”

His brow creases, “But it’s in the rules. You spinned me, now you gotta kiss me,” he grins.

I try to protest further but no one’s coming to my aid. _Snakes, all of them._

I give up and walk over to him, giving him the shortest, least kiss-like kiss I can manage.

I catch Daisy watching me as I walk back to my spot, my shoulders slumped in defeat and arms crossed in frustration. I can’t quite make out her expression, but I’m sure she’s amused to see me have to kiss _Tim._

Jake follows me, spinning Rohan, who is way too into it.

“Ha! Alright mate, bring it on!” he calls to Jake.

Jake laughs before running over to him. 

They kiss for several moments, being as dramatic as they can be and getting laughs from most of the Islanders.

I’m still too upset over having to kiss _Tim_ to laugh at the spectacle, though I will admit that it distracts me, if only momentarily.

Because I had to kiss _Tim_. You don’t get over that in an instant.

Jen jumps up once they finally finish, eagerly spinning the ridiculously sized champagne bottle. 

It lands on Levi and they kiss for a long time, to the discomfort of some of the other Islanders. 

Tim, Daisy, and Erikah all send looks to each other while the couple carry on. Miles shifts awkwardly and Mason just frowns at them. 

I can tell he wants to tell them to get on with it, and honestly, so do I.

They eventually break apart, leaving Tim up next, spinning Jen, who looks surprised. He walks over to her, and their kiss is short but looks far more pleasant than my experience.

Mason laughs at Tim as he walks away from Jen and the shorter bloke responds with, “Oy! I’m a great kisser, I’ll have you know!”

“So how was it, Jen?” Daisy asks, a bemused expression on her face as Tim glares at her, too.

“That was actually, uh… That was surprisingly amazing!” She looks genuinely shocked. _I don’t buy it. She’s just being nice. It’s_ Tim _for fuck’s sake._ “Anyway, now it’s Miles’ go,” she hurries to progress the game.

“At last!” he says excitedly, leaping towards the spinner and giving it his all. He smirks at me when it begins to slow on me, but it keeps moving, ending on Daisy instead.

_Damn it, now I’m curious what that smirk was about._ “The bottle’s cursed. It just wants everyone to kiss Daisy,” I scowl at her.

She ignores me, and takes a peck on the cheek from Miles, who seems pleased with it. _You could at least commit. You_ are _still a couple._

Levi spins Cherry next, and walks away from the girl looking red. Jen fires a glare at Cherry, who’s not paying her any attention.

Tim also spins Cherry, and the two go all in. It actually looks decent, but it’s probably just because of Cherry. _As annoying as she is, she seems to know how to work an audience._

As the two split apart, Jen moves the game along, “And the next person to spin the bottle is… Daisy!”

She heaves the massive bottle, and it passes along some of the boys, coming to a stop on Cherry, who looks surprisingly eager.

Their kiss looks like the perfect stage kiss, with Cherry calling to the group, “Lucky me!” And saying something more softly to Daisy, who just looks at her suspiciously. _Even she doesn’t trust Cherry._

Jen carries on, “One person left… Rohan!”

Rohan beams before taking a look at the bottle, pushing it a bit before spinning it. It lands on Daisy. “Awesome,” he smirks. 

_Are you kidding me?_ “This is such bullshit. Why does Daisy get to kiss everyone? It’s completely unfair. The spinner must be broken.” I cross my arms and frown at the girl in question, who meets my eyes with her steely gaze.

I shift for a moment, not sure what to do with the situation.

Luckily, Talia saves me, even if it’s by disagreeing with me, “I don’t know. I think Rohan did that on purpose,” she raises an eyebrow in Rohan’s direction.

He throws a cheeky wink in response, before strutting over to Daisy. He goes slow, pulling her against him with a hand on her hip, holding her as they kiss passionately. _They’re really milking this._

When they finally pull away, Rohan lingers for a moment, and I catch Mason, Levi, and Erikah looking on in shock. _Shit, right. They’re all thirsting after one of them. Probably weren’t expecting that._

Jen notices too, and she quickly tries to redirect everyone’s attention onto herself, “OK guys, that’s the end of the game.” She reads out her new text, “‘It’s time to pick your winners. Who’s the best kisser in the Villa? Islanders, please cast your votes in secret using your phones. Remember, the winning girl will get first pick in tonight’s recoupling!’” 

_Well, that’s just great. I didn’t actually kiss anyone, so no way am I winning._ I cast a vote for Mason, because who else am I going to vote for? _Tim_?

Everyone starts splitting off into small groups, chatting as we wait to be given the green light to go back to the Villa. Jen waves me over to her and Levi. _Oh, great. Thanks for the save, babe._

I make my way over, hoping somehow he’ll disappear before I have to try and hold a conversation with him.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t. “Hey, Allegra. How’s it going?”

“Alright, I guess. The challenge was interesting,” I say, turning myself more towards Jen.

“Yeah, I can’t believe someone’s, like, winning this, you know. Who thinks of Spin the Bottle as a competition?” Levi says. 

_Ugh. Clearly not talking to you._ But I don’t say anything, just nod along.

Jen pipes up after a beat, “So, who did you guys vote for?” she asks, wiggling her eyebrows jokingly.

Levi seems to have missed the humor in it and starts stuttering, “Well - uh, we’re - we’re not supposed to say anything - right?” He looks nervous and uncomfortable.

Jen frowns at him, and I don’t have to guess what’s about to happen. _I'm so not getting caught in this._

I turn away, searching for Mason. He’s started walking back to the Villa with Cherry, Talia, and Jake going with him. I jog to catch up with them, falling in beside Mason.

We share some jokes and random chat before we quickly find ourselves inside the Villa, again splitting off into small groups and pairs.

Mason and I make our way outside again and flop down onto a daybed.

“So… the recoupling is tonight,” he says, staring upwards.

“Yep,” is all I say. _Does he want us to recouple? Or have we not fixed it?_

He waits a moment before asking the question that’s probably been on his mind as much as mine, “Are you picking me?”

“Do you want me to?” I turn my head a bit to face him.

“I mean, it’s not like I’d say no. I still think we’ve got on really well,” he turns, folding an arm beneath his head.

I smile at him, “Okay. Yeah. I’m picking you.”

He gives me a smirk, “Cool,” before letting his arm slip out and his head fall back to the duvet beneath us.

I move my head back to the side as well, my eyes slipping closed as I explore every possibility for tonight’s recoupling, the first of its kind.

_Best case scenario, I get to pick him. Worst case scenario, Daisy gets to him before me. Also a terrible scenario, someone else picks him. Erikah’s clearly losing her head over Rohan, but maybe someone will snag the bloke. Cherry seems to get on with Rohan, and maybe they’re not ready for real couples?_

I lay back, enjoying Mason’s presence and the Spanish heat on the comfy bed, adjusting to get more comfortable from time to time.

“Text! Everybody, text!” fills the Villa after a long while.

I hurry to the pool with Mason, where most of the other Islanders are already gathered.

“It’s the results of the Spin the Bottle game for who’s the best kisser,” Erikah announces. “Here it is. Boys and girls, the best kisser in the Villa is…”

_Oh my god, just say it._

“Don’t make us wait. Just tell us,” Tim echoes my thoughts.

Erikah’s brow furrows as her eyes focus in on “Cherry.”

All eyes flick to the bombshell, who’s beaming at everyone, “Amazing! Guys, I’m so flattered!” _Ughhhhh._

“Who wins out of the boys?” Mason’s voice cuts through the crowd.

Erikah reads from her phone again, “And the boy chosen as best kisser is… WTF?” _Just say it._

“Who?” Tim calls again.

Erikah looks horrified, her jaw dropping open, “Tim!”

_What the fuck?!_

Tim’s grinning from ear to ear, “Yes! I’m the kissing master! Best kisser in the Villa. Take that, Mason!” he shouts as he hops up and down, dancing about the poolside.

Mason’s face scrunches up, his mouth opens to respond, but he’s cut off.

“What else does it say?” Jen asks, leaning towards Erikah to read her screen.

Erikah turns away from her slightly before addressing us again, “‘The recoupling will be in one hour. Please get glammed up and gather at the fire pit. The girls should sit around the fire and the boys should stand in front of them. #allchange #decisionsdecisions’”

“Awesome!” Cherry’s still beaming.

Levi doesn’t seem to care about the recoupling, “I’m not being funny, but I did not think Tim would win best kisser,” he looks Tim up and down with a frown.

“Whatever, Levi. You’re just upset because you can’t compete with my luscious lips and tongue technique,” Tim makes a kissy face at him.

Levi just looks to someone else, a smirk hitting his face, “Don’t big yourself up too much, mate. I can already see what Mason’s thinking.”

_Oh, please toss him. It’d make this so much more bearable._

“Guys, we’ve got the recoupling in an hour. Stop showing off and go and get dressed!” Jen shouts at them, already starting to walk to the Villa.

I jog to catch up with her, but she’s still moving full steam ahead.

We arrive in the dressing room, and everyone begins focusing intently on perfecting their outfit, hair, and make-up.

I pick out a pale mint dress with dark asymmetrical stripes across it, and after slipping it on in the bathroom, curl my hair neatly, re-doing some strands until they lay just so.

I catch Daisy watching my reflection with an eyebrow raised after I curl one particular strand for the fourth time, but it won’t curl quite right.

I meet her gaze in the mirror and, surprisingly, she doesn’t back down. Her eyes glued to mine from behind me as she stands at a dresser.

I break eye contact first, uncomfortable with just how comfortable she was with doing that, and she moves on, picking some things from the dresser and sitting down at her spot a few seats over.

I’m one of the first to finish and pass the time by adjusting my hair and make-up repeatedly, until Jen stands from her seat, the other girls following suit, putting their brushes, lipsticks, and hair devices away.

We walk out of the Villa, in near silence, except for Daisy and Talia’s hushed conversation at the back of the group.

I glance back to see Daisy’s brow furrowed as her gaze remains on the ground, her arms crossed in front of her and her head leaned unconsciously towards Talia, who’s talking animatedly, her voice raised enough that I can catch a few words here and there.

She’s saying something about Jake, but her voice cuts off when we arrive at the fire pit and begin to take seats around the bench encircling it.

The air’s thick with tension and worry as glances are thrown across the space, the fire lighting up our faces with an orange flicker.

Cherry’s phone dings first, “I’ve got a text.”

_No shit._

She carries on, “‘Islanders, it’s recoupling time. As new arrival Cherry was voted best kisser, she will choose first. She will be followed by Allegra, Jen, Talia, Daisy, and Erikah. #don’tbenervous #allchangeplease’”

_Perfect. Daisy can’t snake me tonight._

Erikah whines, “Oh, typical. I go last.” _Someone has to, and I, for one, am glad it’s you. So cheer up, or whatever._

“Let’s go, guys! Good luck, everyone. Hope you end up with your one true love,” Jen tries to hype everyone up again, to no avail. No one’s mood seems to be capable of improving. _And I doubt we're finding 'one true love's tonight. At least, I'm probably not._

Cherry stands up, facing the boys, “OK. I want to couple up with this boy because I think he’s the most attractive person I’ve ever seen,” she bites her lip at the boys, to no one’s surprise, “and at the same time he’s someone I can really get along with. None of us have been here very long yet, so I’m not afraid to shake things up.” _Where’s this going?_ “We’re going to have a really good time. The boy I want to couple up with is…” she pauses, turning to look at me, and dread settles neatly in my stomach, “Mason.”

 _This bitch. This_ bitch.

I wish glares could actually burn holes through people, “I can’t believe it! All the effort Daisy went to -” I can see her roll her eyes out of the corner of my own “- and it’s Cherry who’s the backstabbing monster!”

“Shh, Allegra. Adults are talking,” Cherry smirks at me as Mason takes a step forward.

I’m snarling at this point, and only manage to hiss out, “Shut your mouth.”

My phone chimes and I pull it out, finding ‘Allegra, it is your turn to choose who to couple up with.’

I stand, still too furious with Cherry to make sense of what to do. I just start talking, “Well, I want to couple up with this boy because this new girl just screwed me over,” I glower at that snake.

“Come on babe, don’t be like that. It’s not cool,” Mason joins in from beside Cherry, who’s cuddled up to him, looking at me with puppy dog eyes.

“Oh my god, shut up!” I shout at him. _Don’t act upset when you’re clearly not!_

“Anyway. I want to couple up with this boy because…” I let out a hefty sigh, looking down the line of boys. 

_Levi’s an obvious no. Tim would give me a headache in a matter of seconds. Rohan has Erikah drooling over him and, as much as I’d love to mess with her, he’s pretty bland. Jake’s even worse._

My eyes land on Miles at the end of the line of boys.

I smile a wicked grin, “Ok. I want to couple up with this boy because I think we’ve both had similar experiences in the Villa…” _Being screwed over by Daisy._ “And I also think he’s smarter than everybody else here.” _Because he’s clearly into me._ “I want to be in a power couple and I think he’s the man to do it with. The boy I want to couple up with is Miles,” I smirk at him devilishly.

He struts over to me and immediately pulls me to him, pressing his lips to mine. I kiss him back, playing it up as much as I can, to show Mason and Daisy just what they’ve missed out on by screwing us over.

When we finally pull away, I pull him over to the bench, dropping down by Mason and his new pet snake.

Miles wraps an arm around me and I push myself into him, causing him to pull me tighter.

Jen pops up next, breezing through her speech because neither Cherry or I stole her one pick.

Levi walks over to her once she’s finished and she kisses him on the cheek before he rests his forehead against hers.

_Alright, that’s a bit much, guys._

Talia follows her, picking Tim, to just about everyone's surprise. Everyone but Jake, that is. He looks unfazed as Tim goes to sit next to her.

Daisy starts in on her speech after some light prompting from Tim, “I want to couple up with this boy because he’s intriguing and I’m so excited to get to know him because there’s something about him I can’t put my finger on,” she smiles gently at the two boys still standing. “The boy I want to couple up with is Jake.”

Jake walks over to her, smiling as he puts his arm around her shoulders.

They sit down together, Jake grinning from ear to ear while Daisy looks to Erikah, seemingly unbothered by the boy next to her. _Does she not give a shit about anyone?_

Erikah’s smiling wide, and her ecstasy over this recoupling somehow makes tonight worse. She finishes by saying, “I’m literally trying not to cry right now.” _Woah, time to calm the fuck down, hun._ “The boy I want to couple up with is Rohan.”

He makes his way to her and drops her into some cheesy kiss, to which she responds by just giggling.

“Wow, thank God that’s over with,” Jen starts, drawing everyone’s eyes. “I get so nervous at these bits, I’m totally useless. Nice speech, Erikah, by the way,” she throws in.

I’m already staring at Cherry once again, not moving as everyone dissolves into useless chatter. 

Miles tries to start a few conversations from beside me, but I shut him down every time, because I don’t care to talk right now. I just want to rip Cherry’s head off.

Islanders start moving to the Villa, exploring their new couples, Mason and Cherry included.

Miles pulls me up off the bench, and I reluctantly let him pull we away to a lounger.

He sits and I flop down beside him, laying back and watching him adjust to face me.

“You know, I’m well pleased that you picked me.”

I smile up at him, “Good.”

“Have you fancied me? ‘Cause I fancied you back on day one,” he says quickly, as if to clarify.

I just shrug. “I wouldn’t have picked you if I didn’t fancy you.”

He seems happy with that answer, sitting back against the lounger.

We just sit for a moment as I glower at the sky, still seeing red from Cherry’s stupid decision to screw me over. _This isn’t the end. I’m not letting her get the last word._

Miles eventually pops up, “Let’s head in, yeah?”

“Alright,” I sit up, taking his offered hand and being pulled up, onto my feet.

He keeps his hold on my hand, leading me into the Villa’s bedroom, where we find some couples already moving about.

Mason is sitting with Cherry in their bed, some of her lipstick already smudged on his lips. She carries on, making her way across his neck.

I avert my eyes, rummaging through some of my things.

Daisy comes in with Jake, Erikah making a beeline for her and sharing some words by the doorway as Jake continues into the Villa.

I catch a glimpse of a condom in Miles’ things, and inspiration sparks.

I start toward the bathroom to get ready for ‘bed,’ walking towards Daisy in order to do so, “Out of my way. I want to use the bathroom.”

She glowers at me as I knock into her shoulder, pushing her out of my way. Her hand brushes my side and I flinch. Her head’s already turned back to Erikah, but I swear she has a light smirk on her lips.

I change, brush my teeth, take my make-up off, and brush my hair a bit.

When I slip back into the bedroom, most of the Islanders are curled up in their beds with their new partners.

I walk over to my bed with Miles, who grins up at me from under the covers.

I slip under the duvet and slide closer, his arms wrapping around me. I pull out a condom I snagged from the bowl in the dressing room and turn to him.

His eyebrows shoot up but he’s smirking all the same, “Already?”

“A few more minutes,” I whisper, knowing full well most of the other Islanders will still be awake.

He nods, taking the condom from me before laying back.

We wait a few more minutes before undressing. He slides on top and starts to kiss my lips and face, then my neck, moving to my chest next.

_Just get going already._

He eventually does, after I play along with his kisses, and I moan as loud as I can, even though it’s not really deserving of it.

He starts grunting and groaning, quieter than me, but still loud enough to be heard from under the duvet that’s been pulled over us.

I give the performance of a lifetime, trying to encourage Miles and upset the others until he eventually falls onto his side, breathing heavy.

We slip our pyjamas back on after a few moments spent calming our breathing, and his arms wrap around me once again. I press my back into his chest, hearing him quickly fall asleep.

I use his steady breathing to try and drift off, but the prospect of pissing everyone who deserves it off tomorrow keeps me up for a while with excited energy.

_Mason and Cherry can’t top that, can they? And Daisy needs to know that she hasn’t stopped me, as much as she probably wishes she has._

My eyelids slip shut, and I’m finally able to zone out the quiet sounds of the Villa’s bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, but there was significantly less dialogue for this one.
> 
> The sex scene was breezed over because I don't know how to write smut, and I'll just continue with this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5!

I wake up to find myself still wrapped in Miles’ arms. He’s breathing softly against my neck.

I hear the sounds of a few Islanders beginning to wake, some soft words being shared and sheets rustling as Islanders adjust.

“Oi, is Daisy making coffee?” Mason’s voice rings through the bedroom, Miles stirring behind me at the sound of it.

“Looks that way, yeah,” she answers, her voice clear, regardless of the early morning.

Levi shouts out as well, “One for me too, please!”

I hear the sounds of more sheets rustling, then her light footfalls as she leaves the room first. 

Some of the others begin to slip out of bed, getting ready for the day ahead or simply talking with whoever’s near them.

Miles’ arm moves from my waist, and I move away, turning to see him rubbing at his eyes.

“Morning,” he says groggily.

“Morning,” I prop my head up with my hand, my elbow resting on a pillow.

“Last night was fun,” he grins wickedly, more awake than a moment ago.

I just nod and murmur an ‘mmhmm’ as I lay back to watch the ceiling for a second. _I’m sure it was._

I sit up abruptly when I catch him watching me expectantly, _I’m not about to compliment him or whatever he thinks is going to happen._

“I’m going to go get ready,” I tell him as he watches me from beneath the duvet. 

“Alright. I’ll make tea,” he says as I slide off the bed.

I shoot him a nod before going to the dressing room, where Jen and Cherry are, still working in silence, still to my amusement, and even more so this morning, Cherry’s betrayal still fresh.

I pull out a navy one-piece suit with ruffles across one side and straighten my hair, ridding it of last night’s curls that have since become messy. 

I walk down into the kitchen, finding Miles standing at the counter, mugs before him and kettle in hand.

He grins up at me before pouring the boiled water into the mugs.

I walk to the fridge, opening it up and pulling out the jug of milk, then joining Miles at his side.

He lets the tea steep for a moment before removing the teabags, grabbing some sugar and adding it to his mug.

I pour some milk into mine, stirring it more than needed as it cools.

I take a sip, humming my approval to Miles as he places some toast onto a plate.

He takes some mashed avocado and spreads it across the toasted bread, dropping the knife into the sink when he’s finished.

He takes hold of his mug and plate, grinning at me before gesturing with the plate, “Want to eat breakfast on the terrace?”

I smile softly at him, “That sounds great.”

He beams and starts moving for the stairs, his pace quicker than normal.

I follow behind, my hands still wrapped tightly around my mug that's being held at throat-level.

We soon pass the bedroom, Daisy’s laugh filtering in, her voice full of joy before she’s drowned out by more laughter.

_Well it seems she’s enjoying herself._

We sit down, a small gap between us as Miles sets the plate on the table in front of us.

I take another small sip of my tea before reaching for a piece of the toast. I bite in, savoring the crunch of the toast and the smoothness of the avocado.

I swallow my first bite and turn to Miles, “You did a really great job with this, babe.”

He beams wide, “Thanks. Had to make a good first breakfast, you know?”

I frown, “So this isn’t the norm?”

“Oh, no, it totally is!” he backpedals, “I just meant - uh, the toast isn’t my go-to, I guess,” he fumbles out.

“So what is your go-to?”

“Oh, easy. Fry-up. Classic breakfast. But I usually have work too early to actually make one, so sausage and eggs works out pretty well.”

I nod along.

“What about you? What’s your go-to?” he asks, looking at me sideways as he drinks his cuppa.

“Oh, I don’t usually do the whole big breakfast thing. Just like yoghurt and fruit typically.”

“That’s a really healthy pick,” he finishes off his toast, licking some avocado off his thumb as he does.

I just shrug, “I guess. Just got into the habit in uni, since my flatmate always bought too much fruit to eat herself in time.”

He nods and we fall into silence, drinking the last of our cuppas.

I hear footsteps after a moment, getting closer to the terrace door, and slide closer to Miles, our sides brushing.

He looks at me curiously, but doesn’t get the chance to say anything, the door flying open, revealing Daisy in a pink and flouncy two-piece, a Love Island necklace falling down her chest. _How tacky._

“Oh, hi Daisy. How are you?” I ask her with the sweetest smile I can muster, “We didn’t keep you up last night, did we?” I pounce on the chance to rub it in her face.

“What, with your snoring?” her brows have knitted together, her lips pursed to the side.

I snap at her, “What? I don’t snore!”

Her eyebrows shoot up, “Really? Is that not what that grunting sound was? It sounded like it was coming from your bed,” she has a light smirk on her lips as her eyebrows settle back down. _She’s acting again. Ugh._

_But she’s not going to win._ “Oh, I think that might have been Miles. Although it figures you haven’t heard that noise before,” a devilish smirk graces my face.

She just smiles politely at me, “No. We didn’t get that far because I tried talking to him first,” she says snarkily, before her gaze turns on Miles, quietly scrutinising him.

“Hey!” he yelps from beside me.

I side-eye her for a tick, before trying to change the subject to something less confrontational. _I don’t want to fight her, just annoy her._

“So how are things working out with your new fella?” I ask.

She shrugs, her face turning to that cool neutrality, “So far so good, I suppose.”

I nod, not quite sure what that means, considering she so obviously planned to snag Mason, and I doubt Jake has ever been at the top of her list, even if I tried to put him there a few days ago.

“I mean, obviously it’s not going at the pace that we are. But that’s OK, honey. Not everyone clicks straight away. Not like me and this gorgeous man here, anyway,” I say, hoping to annoy her some more.

Miles stays silent at my side, so I carry on, “You can’t fake a connection like that.”

She looks at me, mild incredulousness glancing across her face as she quirks an eyebrow, “Are you sure about that?”

I scowl sharply at her, looking to Miles to find him blushing.

When I turn back to her she’s grinning genuinely for the first time in this interaction, “It’s a real lust-at-third-sight story.” _Third? What’s she on about?_

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing,” she says dismissively.

I raise an eyebrow at her, observing the way her hand flutters in the air.

“Nothing? That’s what you came up here to say to me?” I fire at her angrily. _What’s she playing at this time?_

Miles finally joins in the conversation, “Ladies, please! Now, I know I’m good looking, but I don’t think there’s any need to fight over me like this,” he’s smirking when I turn to look at him, my jaw falling open. _Are you kidding me? Ew, no!_

Daisy just scoffs, a disgusted look lighting up her features for a beat.

He’s still smirking when I look back to him, and I quickly turn to Daisy, who’s looking uncomfortable.

I feel some strange pull to fix it, and do just that, “He’s right, babes. We shouldn’t let the drama get on top of us,” she looks at me, an expression of confusion splitting across her face. 

I carry on, “It’s been a tough couple of days, and it must be hard for everyone else to see such a strong couple out in front,” she frowns slightly at that. “But I shouldn’t let that sway me. It’s on me to support the rest of you girls, now that I’ve found my winning teammate,” I smile at her while her expression blanks.

“Well, I am really looking forward to your help. But I’ve just remembered something else I need to do that isn’t talking to you guys,” she turns on her heel, moving for the terrace door.

“Bye, honey!” I call after her, the pet name feeling weird in my mouth.

Miles and I stay on the terrace the rest of the morning, discussing anything and everything that comes to mind. _Well, at least for him._

I’m far more reserved, still learning just what makes Miles tick.

_He can be sweet, but also gross. He seems loyal, which is a massive plus, but has a rocky history. He’s honest, maybe painfully so, but that just means there’s no games, which is another massive plus._

As the sun reaches the height of the sky, I leave the terrace, dropping my mug and the plate from the avocado toast in the kitchen sink and strutting onto the lawn, moving towards the sun loungers, where Jen is sunbathing alongside Cherry and Erikah.

I drop down as far away from the last two as I can, earning a soft ‘hey, babes,’ from Jen when I’m settled.

No one talks for a bit, enjoying the heat and sunshine, until Rohan shouts from the pool, “Oi, I got a text!”

We all sit up, Erikah jumping off her lounger first, Cherry moving far more casually.

“Read it out then!” I shout as we walk over to the pool, where Daisy, Tim, Talia, and Jake are already gathered.

Daisy’s sitting back, hands propping her up with a leg in the pool, her other foot kicking gentle waves from an angle with her heel on the edge of the pool, as her leg remains still, the water up to her thigh the way she’s sitting, turned to listen to Rohan.

He’s begun reading out the text, “‘Islanders, it’s time to find out if you’ve been paying attention, or just passing notes in the back of class. Today’s challenge, Pied Off, will test what you know about what’s been going on in the Villa since you arrived. It’ll be boys vs. girls, and the winning team will get to choose first at the next recoupling.’’” _Ooh._ “‘There will also be a special prize for the best individual boy and girl.’” _Also ooh._ “‘#battleofthesexes #studybuddies’”

“Oh my god, that’s huge!” I shout out in excitement, earning a look of surprise from Daisy at my grin.

There’s no time to dwell, as Tim’s jumps up from his spot at the pool, “Yeah it is. We’re going to smash it!”

Talia’s still sitting, “What’s the pie part all about?” _Oh yeah._

“Never mind that,” Jen bats her hand in the air, “We can’t let these guys get the upper hand. Let’s show those boys what we’ve got!” she tries to hype us up again.

It seems to work this time, because Talia and Cherry cheer loudly as Daisy claps, holding back a laugh before falling into her natural expression of nothing as we begin to make our way to the challenge platform.

Miles falls into step beside me, “Excited for the challenge?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna kick your arses!” I tell him, already determined to win that special prize. _I couldn’t care less about the recoupling, since I doubt anyone would split us up._

Miles just laughs, “It won’t be easy. The lads are putting up a fight, you know.”

I roll my eyes, “Mmhmm. Sure.”

We soon reach the challenge platform, where Rohan and Cherry run ahead to lead the game.

We split into two teams, girls versus boys, on either side of the platform.

Once we’re settled, Rohan calls out, “OK, first up we’ve got Mason and Daisy!”

The two begin moving to their places.

“Guys, please take your seats in front of the pie. We’re going to ask you a question. The first person to answer correctly will win a point, and, more importantly… Will get to throw this pie at the other player!” Cherry says with a laugh.

Daisy nods, her face resolute, and Mason grins, looking down at her. _I don’t even want to know what he’s thinking._

Rohan begins, “OK guys, if you’re ready, here’s your question. On day two in the Villa, which boy said that Jen ‘wasn’t real,’ and that ‘posh birds are all the same?’” _A prick, that’s who._

Mason shouts out quick, “It’s got to be Tim!”

The accused stands, looking flustered for once.

“And that’s the right answer!” Cherry grins at Mason.

Rohan turns to the massive scoreboard behind him, “One point to Mason, and one point to the boys.”

Jen looks like a dangerous mixture of shell-shocked, embarrassed, and angry.

“Tim, what the hell mate?” Levi yells across to the bloke. _What do you know, he’s good for something._

“Sorry, Jen. That was like, a whole three days ago though,” Tim looks surprisingly regretful, but Jen’s staring down at the ground and Levi looks like he’s fuming.

Cherry seems to pick up on the palpable tension in the air and redirects everyone’s attention, “And unfortunately, that means Daisy is going to be the first to get a pie to the face. Although I think we can all see it’s Jen who’s really been pied off here,” she tries to joke, though no one’s laughing.

Mason mutters something to Daisy as he pick up the pie, holding it in front of her face as she gently presses into it, walking away with some cream on her nose that Talia flicks off with a laugh when she returns to our side of the platform.

“Ok, up next, it’s Talia and Levi!” Cherry calls them over with a wave of her hands.

Rohan reads off of another card, “OK guys, your question is… 'Which couple were matched for eternity, like sea and sky, in the astrological readings?'” 

_I think I’ve got a guess._ I smirk to myself as Levi yells, “Allegra and Mason!”

“That’s correct,” Rohan says as he flips through the stack of cards in his hand.

“Those readings were accurate, then,” Erikah murmurs from a few people down, and I turn to glare at her. _We don’t know yet, do we?_

“So that’s a point for the boys, and a pie for Talia,” Cherry tells the group.

Daisy looks on, and I glimpse a conflicting and confusing mess of emotions in her eyes.

Levi presses the pie into Talia’s face - for real this time - and cream starts spilling over the sides, falling to the ground.

Talia pulls back after a moment, “Oh my god. It’s cold!” she rushes back to our side, grabbing a towel from behind us and wiping off her face.

This time, Daisy’s the one to flick off some cream from her shoulder, grinning the whole while.

“And next we have… Jake and Erikah!” Rohan calls the pair over.

“Come on girls!” Jen shouts, evidently attempting to move past the last two rounds.

“I am not looking forward to this at all,” Erikah whines, but gets her question right nevertheless.

She drops the pie directly onto Jake’s head after he bends down.

“That could have been worse, I suppose,” he calls, shaking some cream from his hair.

“Now we’ve got Allegra and Tim!” Cherry shouts to the group.

I make my way over to the center of the platform, a pie placed between Tim and I.

Tim’s bouncing on his heels as we wait for our question.

“Okay you two, ‘Which guy hasn’t called Daisy ‘fit’?’”

“Me!” Tim shouts in an instant. “Though she is,” he smiles over my shoulder at his mate.

“Correct!” Cherry tells him. _Seriously? Everyone else has?_

_Though I don’t know why I’m surprised, all the boys seem to lose their heads around her._

Tim grabs hold of the pie and launches it at me, covering my face, hair, shoulders, and chest in cream, way more than anyone else has.

“You absolute…” I mutter as I start to clear cream out of my eyes to make my way back to my side.

Daisy hands me a towel when I’m a few steps away from the girls. _Of course it’s her. The ‘fit’ one._

Cherry carries on the game, “Daisy and Levi, ready for your question?” 

Daisy moves past me as I clear cream off myself during their round.

When I turn back I see Levi with cream across his chest and abs, Daisy standing a few steps away, a pleased grin on her face. _Ew._

“You look like a stripper at a hen party,” Tim shouts from behind Levi,

“Mmm, and then someone has to lick the cream off,” Cherry licks her lips at Levi. _Ugh! What could possibly possess someone to say that?!_

“I’d get married for a shot at that,” Talia chimes from near me. _Again, ew._

“OK, next up is Allegra and Miles,” Rohan calls, clearly trying to distract the girls from Levi. _Ugh, again?_

I make the best of it, strutting over and throwing a massively cheesy wink to Miles, one that I know the whole group will catch. He gives me a huge smirk in response.

“Your question is ‘Which girl has only ever named one guy she’s been interested in?’” Cherry asks.

I take a second before answering confidently, “Jen.”

“That’s it!” Rohan cheers, and I can see Levi’s stupid smirk out of the corner of my eye.

I take the pie, looking Miles up and down before deciding what to do. 

I decide to show off for the others, grabbing a handful of cream and spreading it across his chest.

I’m on my third handful when Jen calls to us, “We get it you guys. You’re into each other.” I turn to see her cheeks tinted red, probably still embarrassed from the call-out by the question.

Talia gets called up next, alongside Jake. 

She gets her question right, hitting him in the face with the pie to the group’s amusement.

“He’s so quiet usually. It’s nice to see him get in on the banter,” I hear Erikah say to someone, probably Daisy, who’s standing on the other side of the line of girls.

Tim gets a point from Jen, Mason gets one from Erikah, and Jen redeems herself by pieing Levi.

“OK guys, it’s the final round now. Do you all wanna know who’s winning?” Cherry says, turning to the scoreboard.

“Yes!” Jen shouts, followed by more cheers from the two teams.

“At the moment, both teams have got five points and Tim’s smashing the individual competition!” Cherry chimes.

“Let’s go ladies! We can still do this!” Jen tries to hype the girls up again.

“OK, Daisy and Jake, please take your places in front of the pie!” Rohan ushers them over.

“Here’s your question… Who said this about Jake? ‘Physically, he’s my type on paper and personality-wise, it’s all there’” Rohan asks.

Daisy’s expression is blank, but her eyes are calm, like she’s holding her tongue. _Just answer the stupid question!_

Jake winces, “It wasn’t Talia, was it?” he asks warily.

“That’s correct. Which means another point for the boys, and Daisy is going to get pied off,” Rohan announces.

Daisy doesn't even bat an eye, facing Jake expectantly.

He tips the pie towards her face, letting her press her face into it delicately again. 

She pulls back with a little cream on her nose and cheeks, licking the cream that’s slid off her nose into her mouth, her tongue flicking across her lips.

She walks back to the girls as the group dissolves into discussion, “Oh my god, look at him. I don’t blame you, Talia. He’s everyone’s type on paper,” Cherry tells the girls.

“So… When exactly did this happen?” Tim asks from across the platform.

“Oh, it must have been way back when we were coupled up,” Talia says with a slight blush creeping up her cheeks.

“A whole two days ago?” Tim asks with a frown. _Get over it, mate!_

Talia answers, understandably defensively, “I coupled up with you afterwards, didn’t I?”

We're redirected back to the game, “OK, and moving swiftly on… Talia and Miles, get ready to face the pie!”

Miles answers first, getting the answer right and grabbing the pie, throwing it at Talia strongly, hitting her in the chest, cream exploding across her.

I see Daisy frowning at Miles before she turns to grab Talia’s towel, running up to hand it to her. _He did go a little overboard on her._

Levi and I get called up next. 

He gets the answer to the question ‘Which boy brought one pair of shoes?’ before me.

It was, to no one’s surprise, Tim.

“We’re at a Villa! I’m barefoot unless I’m dressed up!” is his shouted defense.

“C’mon lads!” Levi shouts as he walks back to the boys victoriously. _What a tool._

Mason and Jen are after us, the former getting the question correct and pieing the latter, shouting out “Yes mate!” when Cherry tells him he’s right.

“And for the final question, it’s Erikah and Tim.” The pair move to the center as Rohan continues, “The boys are out in front right now, but there’s still those individual prizes to be won! So, your question is… 'On the first day, which of the Islanders said they had previously cheated on a partner?'”

Erikah stumbles, “Um…” _What, afraid to call yourself out?_

“Erikah, Jake, and Levi!” Tim beams.

“Amazingly, that is one hundred percent correct,” Rohan tells him.

Jake shifts awkwardly across the platform, “I’m so glad that’s been brought up again.”

“Probably about as glad as Erikah is, since she’s going to be the last person to get pied off today,” Cherry turns sympathetically to the girl.

“Like she pied off whatever mug she was going out with?” Miles smirks and I grin at him, even if he’s not looking at me.

“Oh wow, savage,” Talia says quietly from Daisy’s side, still clutching her towel.

Tim turns on Miles, “Hey, don’t pick on Erikah. Take that back!”

Miles defends himself, “Why? Because you can’t face the truth? No chance.”

Tim scowls, “Right, you’re in for it!” he says, taking hold of the last pie and turning, chucking it at Miles.

It misses and hits Mason directly in the face.

“Incredible,” Levi laughs.

“Mate, I’m going to get you for that!” Mason shouts while wiping cream off his face, running up to Tim and smearing it across the shorter bloke’s.

Erikah laughs as Cherry looks bewildered, clearing her throat and turning, primarily to the girls, “So while the boys get that out of their systems, there’s just the matter of the final scores.”

Rohan follows her lead, “With that incredible final answer, Tim takes the competition for the boys and bags himself the top lad trophy.”

Tim pauses in his struggle with Mason, “What, I won?” he beams.

“And for the girls, Erikah got the highest score,” Rohan turns to her with a smile. She eagerly returns it.

“This means that the boys will choose at the next recoupling… And as a special prize, Erikah and Tim will both get to take someone of their choice on a date outside the Villa tonight!” Cherry announces.

“Oh. my. Gosh!” Erikah shouts excitedly.

“Oh, never mind about that. We won! Lads lads lads!” Mason yells, the other boys joining in for a moment.

The rest of the girls just exchange a few quick glances as the boys carry on, cheering on the way back to the Villa.

As soon as we walk into the Villa we make our way to the bathroom, arguments breaking out over who gets to shower when.

I wipe off the worst of the pie at the bathroom sink with a few of the other girls following suit, then wait in the dressing room for an opening in the shower.

I manage to slip into fourth place, and relish in the water hitting my skin, the feeling of cleaning myself of the stickiness that coated it.

I slip out after a half hour or so and brush through my wet hair in the dressing room as I wait to go again, because I’m somehow still sticky.

Daisy slips into the dressing room, her towel wrapped tightly around herself, her legs slipping out from beneath it and her hair cascading down her shoulders.

“Is the shower open again?” I ask her.

She shakes her head, “Levi just took it, but he said he wouldn’t be long.”

I nod and mutter a very quiet ‘thanks.’

She seems to miss it, sitting down at her seat and starting to apply products to her skin.

After a few minutes there’s a knock on the dressing room door, “I’m done,” Levi’s voice calls.

I look to Daisy, who’s still looking in the mirror as she covers her face in some skincare product.

“Are you going to take the shower?” I ask her.

“No, you can. I can wait or just use the sink,” she answers coolly.

“Oh, uh - okay,” I stutter out, confused why she’s giving up the shower for me, but instead of questioning it, I grab a towel, slipping back into the bathroom.

When I leave the shower for the third time today, my hair sopping wet again, I find Daisy at the sink, washing something off her face.

She smiles politely in the mirror, her eyes following me for a second as I leave the bathroom, most likely waiting to see when she can let her guard down.

I blow dry my hair and slip into a polka-dotted two-piece, reapplying my make-up for the day and straightening my hair once again.

I walk out to the lawn once I’m finished, finding a group by the loungers and dropping down beside Jen, who's casually sunbathing with Rohan, Erikah, and Jake.

At some point Daisy arrives, then Talia, who sparks up a conversation, “Uuuggh. I’ve had like three showers and I think I’m still sticky.”

“Oh my gosh babes, I know,” Erikah chimes.

Jen pulls a strand of her hair into her face, “I don’t think I’m ever going to get the smell out of my hair. This is like the body paint but times ten,” she frowns.

“Oh come on girls, it’s not that bad. You don’t have to act like melts just cos you lost a challenge!” Rohan lectures us.

Daisy just shakes her head at him and his face falls at the sight.

Talia joins in on the roasting of Rohan, “I can’t believe Rohan and Cherry didn’t have to play.”

“We had fun watching it all go down though…” he quips, right as a wasp buzzes by my ear.

It somehow gets caught in my hair, buzzing incessantly and I jump up quickly, “Oh my god! Wasp!” I shout as I start moving my hands about me defensively, trying to shake my head to get it out.

“OK, OK, hold still,” Jake says, his hand landing on my shoulder.

I keep moving, “Hold still?! Are you crazy?!”

He shushes me and I entertain him, freezing in place.

He combs his fingers through my hair, and the wasp flies out and away from the group.

I breathe a massive sigh of relief. _Not a good idea to get stung right now._

I turn to Jake, “Thank you so much.”

I catch Daisy’s raised eyebrow, her eyes trained on me and Jake and decide to have some fun playing it up, “I was so scared. My hero!”

He turns red and sits back down quickly, “It was nothing.”

Erikah butts in, “This is going to keep happening now, isn’t it? We’re all like walking honey traps.”

“Someone’s gonna have to go on wasp lookout duty,” Talia chimes, before turning on a flirty expression, “It’s weird, isn’t it? You boys got us all covered and now we’re the ones that have to get grafting.”

Rohan jumps on the topic, “Boys’ choice next time. Things are going to heat up around here. I’m so up for this. I’m just going to lie back, and let the ladies come to me!” he beams at us.

Daisy laughs quietly, “You do that,” she tells him with a grin.

“Oh, you don’t think it’ll work? I thought the tide had turned. I was looking forward to this,” he frowns, looking suddenly downcast.

Jen pipes up, “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

“Typical bloke. Give them one little victory and they’re off on this whole ego trip,” Talia waves her hands in the air as she lays back down.

Erikah teases him too, “Yeah, and he wasn’t even on the team.”

Rohan eyes her up in response, “Which makes me all the more attractive, right?”

Daisy laughs again, Talia joking “Because you _didn’t_ get anyone creamy?” which just makes her laugh harder.

It’s an odd sight. _She’s usually reserved, but I guess she can better relax around her friends._

“Oh my god, wasp!” Jen shouts, jumping up.

I yell at Rohan, who’s sitting closest to her, “Rohan! Wasp!”

Jake gets up instead, crossing the few loungers between them and placing a hand on her shoulder, “Hey, steady now.”

Jen stills, allowing him to flick the wasp from her shoulder.

“You guys obviously taste the sweetest,” he jokes.

“Heh. Smooth,” Talia says, which gets Daisy laughing again. Talia turns on her, her face scrunched up, but she keeps laughing as the rest of the group carries on.

Erikah is talking to Rohan and Jake about something, but I’m too distracted by Daisy’s laugh to pay attention.

Talia shoves her shoulder and she falls back on her lounger, her laughter eventually coming to a stop as she stares up at the sky.

I lay back, still put off by the sight of a breathless, easygoing Daisy.

Our sunbathing group disperses soon after, Daisy, Talia, and Jake disappearing into the Villa’s kitchen, Rohan and Erikah moving to the pool, and Jen pulling me along to the bean bags, saying she wants to curl up on something comfy.

I enjoy the sun for a while longer, before my phone buzzes at my side, “Oh, it’s me. Guys, I got a text!” I shout to the Villa.

Islanders run over as Jen sits up in her bean bag, “What does it say?”

“‘Islanders, please head over to the kitchen, where the two winners of today’s challenge will announce who they are taking on a romantic date this evening. #loveisintheair #datesbeforemates’” I read out.

“Amazing. Let’s go,” Jen calls, popping up out of her bean bag.

We stroll over to the kitchen, slipping in and filing around the counter as Tim stands in front of the oven, all eyes on him.

“Right, I guess I’ll go first then. I know you’ve all got important things to be getting on with… But I won that challenge earlier so you’ve all got to shut up and listen to me for a second,” he calls, his face becoming serious for a split second.

It’s ruined by Mason, who yells, “Do a rap!” to a few of the Islanders amusement.

“I’d just like to let you all know… That the girl I’m taking out on a date this evening…” _Mate hurry up!_ “Is…”

I’m out of patience and shout to him, “Oh my god, Tim. Get on with it!”

“Not Allegra, obviously,” he grins.

I scowl at him. _Your loss._

“The girl I want to take on a date this evening is… Jen!” he finally finishes.

“What?” Jen and Levi say together.

Talia looks just as confused, and maybe hurt too, “Yeah, what?”

“What do you say, Jen? I’m really sorry about what happened earlier, and I’d like a chance to show you I’m a bit more than my first impression,” he’s still grinning at her.

“Well, when you put it that way… Maybe I’d like that,” she says with a gentle smile, before turning to Levi and whispering in his ear, finishing by placing a kiss on his cheek. 

He gives her a smile and a nod in response, “You go ahead, mate. Make sure you have her back by midnight,” he tells Tim, with no indication that he’s kidding.

“What are you, her dad?” Talia calls from across the counter. 

He just frowns at her and she responds with a challenging look, but Tim cuts them off, “Let’s get cracking then.”

I want to complain, _it was just getting good. Talia was about to kick his arse._ “I don’t think I’ve ever dated someone as posh as you before. Will you show me which knife and fork to use? I usually just eat with my hands,” Tim jokes.

Jen stares at him incredulously for a moment before something clicks.

“This date is going to go really well,” Talia says sarcastically.

“Come on then, let’s go get ready!” Tim shouts out, already headed further into the Villa.

Jake cuts him off, “Er, mate, hold on. There’s still another announcement.”

“Oh right, yeah. Sorry,” Tim mutters, joining the rest of us at the counter.

Erikah takes Tim’s spot, shifting on her feet, “Well, I don’t know if I can make as much of a ceremony of it as our resident MC here… But the boy I want to take on a date is Rohan!” She's beaming at him.

“Yes! I’d love to go on a date with you, Erikah,” he says excitedly.

“Grafting starts here then, fella?” Jake teases.

“Have fun, you guys!” Daisy calls as they all walk into the Villa, headed for the dressing room.

“Get scrubbing up, mate!” Levi calls after Tim.

I chat with Miles in the kitchen a while, waiting for the dressing room to clear out so I can change.

I'm the last to enter the dressing room, finding Daisy at her spot, adjusting her hair in a black crop top across her shoulders.

“Oh, hey,” I mumble.

“Hey,” she responds, eyes still trained on her reflection.

“Hey,” I say again, before searching through my suitcase, and awkward pause lingering between us.

She stands, a shimmery skirt wrapped around her, draped from her waist and spilling across her thighs, “Have you seen Jake around?” she asks.

I immediately respond with “Why?” even though I know it’s not my business. _But why’s she bothering with asking me?_

“I just wanted to chat to him, really. A lot has happened today that we should talk about,” her palms brush the sequins on her skirt.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen him,” I tell her.

“OK, never mind. Do you know where Levi is?” she tries.

I know my eyebrow’s nearly at my hairline, “Now there’s an interesting question.” _With a bad reason._ “He’s on his own while Jen is on her date with Tim. But I suspect you knew that already,” I eye her up and she shifts a bit. “I think I saw him up on the roof terrace,” I finish, wary of her plans with him.

“Thanks," she says, already starting out of the room.

“OK babes, have fun. Whatever you’re up to,” a knowing smirk quirks my lips, and she gives me an irritated look when she glances back over her shoulder.

I get ready in peace, pulling out a colorful striped skirt and black, long sleeved top that I tuck into it.

I keep my hair straight, and just touch up my make-up, rather than entirely re-doing in for the night.

I find the Villa empty and exit onto the lawn, spotting a group by the bean bags.

It seems to be most of the Islanders, and I sit down next to Miles, who smiles at me.

I smile back as I tune into the conversation, finding Talia telling a story of some festival she covered.

Cherry tells her she should cover the club scene, but she just waves her hand, “Nah. The fun of festivals is that they’re temporary. I don’t do clubs because a dozen other people already have in the time it’s been open.”

Cherry takes a second before nodding, like she understands.

“But I’m sure you know some great clubs, Cherry,” Talia tells her.

This gets Cherry grinning, “Of course! There are some great underground ones my castmates and I go to all the time! They sometimes even have live music!”

“Yeah? What kind of music?” Mason asks, suddenly interested in the conversation.

Miles doesn’t seem to be paying attention, as he reaches across the small space between our bean bags and places his hand on my thigh. _Bit much, mate._

I put my hand over his, turning it over and holding it to keep him occupied.

“You can find just about anything you’re looking for!” she beams at him. “Like, for example, there’s this one boat club -”

“A boat club?” Miles asks her, incredulously.

She just looks at him confused, “Yeah?”

“Is it on a boat, or is it boat-themed?” he asks, his voice softer.

She beams, “On a boat! It’s really fun!” she bites her lip, “And makes doing bits that much more exciting.”

I cock an eyebrow at her, intrigued, while Talia laughs.

Unfortunately, Mason has to ruin the fun, “Well, what kind of music did they have?”

We stay like this for ages, the other’s chatting and Miles or I occasionally butting in, his hand staying under mine.

A shout rings through the Villa, probably even up to the roof terrace where Daisy and Levi are doing who knows what, “Oi, oi! Guess where we’ve been?!”

 _Good, something new._ “Oh my god, don’t tell me if your date was amazing. Was it on a boat?” 

Cherry and Talia laugh while Mason just shakes his head.

“Nah, it was on a hill. What’s this about a boat?” he asks, dropping down onto a bean bag.

“Oh, nothing,” I say, waving my hand in the air as I do. _Had to be there._

Jen’s still standing, looking around the lawn nervously, “Has anyone seen Levi?”

“I’m sure he’ll be down in a minute. Big T wasn’t exactly quiet,” Mason tells her, and she nods, looking for somewhere to sit down since the bean bags are full.

I scoot over in mine and pat the other side when she meets my eye.

She grins and sits down, her feet remaining on the ground.

It takes a minute, but Levi walks out of the Villa and onto the lawn. 

Jen jumps up, rushing over and pulling him over to a daybed.

The conversation jumps around some more, the others evidently getting bored of Tim’s chat about his date.

At some point I look over to see Jen and Levi have disappeared, and Mason starts to stand up, “We should probably turn in, yeah?” he offers his hands to Cherry and Talia.

Cherry takes it, standing up and leaning into him. Talia smiles before jumping up and running into the Villa, daring Tim to follow.

He chases after her, shouting about not taking the whole bed, as Cherry and Mason walk hand in hand to the Villa.

Miles has stood now, his hand in mine pulling me up and into his chest. He presses a kiss to my lips and I reciprocate, but just for a second. _Not much fun without an audience._

We walk into the Villa and I go to the dressing room, pulling off my outfit and slipping on silk pyjamas. I take off my make-up and brush my still straight hair before pulling it up.

By the time I enter the bedroom, all the Islanders are in bed, some already asleep, others whispering in their beds.

I pull the sheets of my bed back, laying down beside Miles, who grumbles sleepily before pulling me to him.

I let him wrap his arms around my waist, but keep myself turned to the ceiling, hearing the sounds of eleven other Islanders drifting to sleep.

Everyone seems to be asleep, but I hear a yawn and the rustling of sheets, 

I swear it’s Daisy, even though I don’t know her yawn or why she’d still be up, but it seems like such a Daisy thing, to be awake when no one else is, alone with her thoughts as I am now.

I don’t hear any more noises, so I assume I beat her, staying awake past even the Islander who so often seems to be made of stone, but clearly has some gooey marshmallow insides from what I saw today.

The image of a rock-covered marshmallow is my last thought for the day, as I fall into another uneasy sleep within the Villa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be just every Sunday from now on, as I'm starting new works that I'll also be posting regularly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6!

A text tone rings throughout the Villa’s massive bedroom, startling me awake. _For fuck's sake._

I’m not the only one so rudely woken up, “What the hell is that noise?” Mason shouts to the bedroom, Miles stirring behind me.

“Text?” Erikah calls, and I roll my eyes as I pull the duvet over myself. _How’d she figure that out?_

I don’t catch Mason’s next words, but Daisy’s voice reaches me, “It sounded like Tim’s phone,” she says confidently. _How the fuck does she know that?_

Mason yells at Tim, who shouts about his text. _We know, arsehole!_

Daisy voices my thoughts aloud - minus the arsehole part - as Miles groans beside me.

Talia’s voice joins in, “Can you just read it out already? Some of us are trying to sleep!”

“Oh yeah, right,” Tim starts, “‘Islanders, the next recoupling will take place this evening #allchangeplease #earlybirdcatchestheman’”

I throw the duvet back and Miles sits up too, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Most of the other Islanders have done the same, except for Talia and Daisy. 

Talia looks like she still wants to go back to bed, and Daisy’s laying back, her head tilted to the ceiling, a distant expression clouding her face.

The conversation continues with Jen, “Ohmigod, it’s today?”

By now the shock’s dissipated and I’m grinning widely. _Perfect opportunity to flaunt._

I shout out ‘yes’ as I turn to Miles, who eagerly holds up his hand for a high-five. I slap my hand into his and he holds on to it tightly.

I turn back to the rest of the room, finding a grumpy Talia, an incredulous Daisy, an excited Levi, and a downtrodden Jake.

“Right. I guess none of us are going back to bed then,” Talia grumbles as she reluctantly drags herself out of bed, turning to Daisy as she does, “Come chat to me in a bit, Daisy? I think we could do with a little bit of a catch-up.”

She looks nervous, but Daisy nods to her determinedly.

I follow Talia’s lead, hopping out of bed and bouncing to the dressing room, but not before catching Levi asking Daisy for a chat, too. _That can’t be good._

I head into the dressing room, a few of the girls floating in behind me.

I pull out a red one-piece with cutouts across my sides, jumping into the shower and slipping it on, reentering the dressing room when I’m finished.

By now Daisy and Erikah have joined, with Talia already gone.

Daisy’s wearing a blue and white bikini with more of those bullshit straps. _What does she think they’re doing for her?_

I brush through my hair as Erikah chats with Jen about the recoupling tonight. Erikah won’t shut up about Rohan and Jen sounds worried about who Levi’s picking.

Daisy’s back is to us the entire time, to the point that I think she’s just standing there to avoid eye contact. _Don’t have to guess what that’s about._

“We won’t know what’ll happen until tonight, okay?” I tell Jen, earning a smile from her and a raised eyebrow from Daisy, who’s finally sat down at her spot.

I finish up my make-up before anything can go down, braiding my hair into two buns and curling some loose strands framing my face.

I stroll down to the kitchen, finding Miles with cuppas again, “Morning, babe!” he calls to me.

“Morning,” I respond with a small smile, slipping onto one of the kitchen’s stools.

I grab one of the mugs, adding the milk that’s sitting out on the counter this time and swirling it hypnotically as I zone out of the conversation Miles has continued.

_Tonight’s going to be… interesting, isn’t it? Not that I have to worry. Miles and I are safe from the snakes and actors slithering about. Though, Daisy’s not. But she’s the problem. Jen’s the one in trouble._

“Allegra?” he asks, and I finally snap out of my brief but intoxicating trance.

“Hmm?” I question.

He smiles, “Tonight’ll be great, yeah?” His face contorts into a smirk, “And maybe we can get up to some fun, like the last recoupling.” _Ew._

But I know that would destroy the safety of this couple, “Maybe,” I smirk back, raising an eyebrow as I do.

He grins wickedly at that, sipping from his mug before opening his mouth to speak.

But by then I’m already turning on my heel, headed onto the lawn.

He follows, and I lead him to a lounger where we finish our cuppas in relative silence, a few words being spoken between us and a few shouts from the other Islanders around us.

As the morning drags on, Miles takes our mugs into the kitchen, dropping them in the sink as I stretch out to sunbathe, relishing in the quiet of the day.

I’ve been laying on the lounger for ages by the time someone finally gets a text, “Text, everybody!” Tim calls.

I stand up, rushing to the poolside where a few of the Islanders are still situated.

Daisy reads out, “‘Islanders, today’s challenge is called ‘Rated’.’” _Excuse me?!_ “‘Boys, you’ll get your instructions in the Beach Hut. Girls, please assemble on the Roof Terrace. #ratedforbanter #allchatnosplat’

“Oh my god, are the boys going to literally be judging us?” I nearly shriek. _That’s so disgusting!_ I get my voice under control before finishing, everyone’s expectant eyes on me, “I can’t even.”

Tim doesn’t much care about my outburst, “If this is about banter, maybe I’ll actually win a challenge for once!” _You won yesterday!_

“What are you talking about? You won the challenge yesterday!” _I hate that Levi’s right._

Realisation dawns on Tim’s face, “Oh yeah!”

“Are we going to stand her or do the challenge?” Jen shouts at the gathered Islanders, hands on her hips.

Some laughs ripple through the group, but at Jen’s stern expression we spilt up, girls to the terrace, boys to the Beach Hut.

Erikah chatters away with Jen once again, Daisy and Talia walking in step but neither saying much, Cherry walking a step in front of me at the back of the group.

We step onto the terrace, spreading out and taking seats on the benches, pillows being thrown around as we do.

Jen’s still standing, “So, what now?”

A text beeps an instant later, ‘Girls, your task is to rank the boys in various categories, from highest to lowest.’” _Ew. They’re not objects, even if they’re as thick as bricks._ “‘The answers you give as a group will be compared to the order the boys place themselves in. First, please choose which boy has the biggest… personality.’

Cherry calls from the opposite bench, “So, they basically want to know who’s the most and least extra?”

“What does that even mean?” Jen asks from her standing spot, arms crossed and brow furrowed.

“It’s, like, someone who does the absolute most, all the time, for no reason,” Talia says from a few seats down, lounging leisurely. “Like, if you put heels and a tiara on just to go shopping. But it’s also, like, if your personality is just completely over-the-top the entire time,” Talia explains.

“So when Tim’s rapping in the shower, that’s extra?” 

“Yeah. But when Miles picks Allegra up and carries her down the stairs, that’s pretty extra too,” Talia says, still leaned back in her spot.

I glare at her. _It was one time! And my heels were really high last night…_

Jen moves along, “I get it. So which boy has the biggest personality, then?”

“It has to be Tim. I don’t even think I need to explain that,” Daisy says with a small laugh.

Cherry beams at her, “You’re totally right. Next!”

“OK, but we’ve got to put them in order. Who is down the bottom of the list?” Jen clarifies.

“Jake. Gotta be him,” Daisy says without hesitation. _I mean, she is coupled up with him._

Talia nods at Daisy, “Yeah, it’s absolutely no contest.”

“He’s so quiet!” Jen adds with a frown. _So’s your bloke._

“My nan would call Jake a dreamboat,” Cherry starts. “She always said that was the kind of boy I needed. I never get on with them, though.” _I wonder why._ “I always end up with literally the most full-on people in the world.”

“Well, maybe you should couple up with Jake or Levi? They’d be good for you,” Talia suggests. _Doubt Levi’s much of an option._

“They’re both fit… I’m more attracted to guys like Mason or Rohan, though. Guys with some spark,” she smirks once a-fucking-gain.

“Well, maybe that’s where you’re going wrong?” Talia tries to help.

“Oh my god, are you trying to set me up with Jake?” Cherry asks with a suddenly shocked look on her face.

Talia’s eyes flick to Daisy, who’s watching without a single discernable emotion across her face, “No!” Talia shouts defensively.

“Don’t worry babe. I’m just teasing,” Cherry smiles, but Talia still looks to be on edge.

Another text comes before things can get any worse, “‘Next up, please decide which boy has the fittest body and rank them accordingly,’” Daisy reads out. _That’s even worse! The boys better not be doing this one, too!_

“So it’s either Mason or Levi or Jake, right?” Cherry asks. _It’s Mason. Sorry Miles, but…_

“It’s definitely Jake,” Jen says firmly. I quirk an eyebrow at her declaration.

“Really? I thought you’d say Levi,” Talia asks, seemingly just as surprised.

Jen just shakes her head, “Levi’s fit, but come one. Jake looks like a Greek god,” she smirks jokingly.

Daisy breezes over it, “I agree. It’s gotta be Jake.”

“For sure,” Cherry adds.

Daisy just looks at her inquisitively before addressing her specifically for once, “You’ve agreed with everything I’ve said so far.”

Cherry looks flustered, “Have I?” but she recovers quickly, “I guess you’ve got good taste!” she winks at Daisy who’s expression hasn’t changed.

“OK, let’s move on down the list,” Jen says, moving the conversation along.

_It’s Tim. But I’m not about to call the bloke out like that._

No one says anything for a beat, until Daisy vocalises our thoughts, “Well, we’re all thinking the same thing, right?”

“Tim’s at the bottom,” Erikah says softly, her eyes trained on the space before her.

“Yep,” Talia says.

Daisy’s looking unsure, “Tim won’t be pleased.” _You’re the one who said it!_

“He’s got so many other great qualities though!” Jen shouts, “Tim’s actually got quite a good body! It’s just, next to all the other guys...” she trails off.

“Yeah, he didn’t really come in last. He just came in sixth place in a tough competition,” Daisy throws at the wall, hoping it will stick.

It doesn’t.

She sighs before reading out one more text, “‘Thank you for your answers. Please head to the lawn to meet the boys.’”

We all stand up, following Jen out the terrace door as some of the idle chat about the challenge resumes.

We arrive back on the lawn, finding the boys lined up in a row with some pageant sashes on a table beside them.

An opposite line is formed unintentionally, and I stand before Miles, who winks at me oh-so-cheesily.

I wink back.

Cherry calls from down the informal line, “I got a text! ‘Islanders, you’ve all had a chance to rate each other.’” _Still ew._ “‘Next, the boys need to guess where they were ranked. Correct guesses will be rewarded with ice lollies and the people with the highest ranking in each category will be awarded these stylish sashes. #knowyourplace #ratedorslated’

Some glances and nervous looks are thrown across the lawn, but another text cuts us off, ‘Boys, the girls have been ranking you according to who has the biggest personality. Please place yourself in the order you think the girls chose.’

Mason scowls, “No way am I going at the top. It’s not ‘best personality,’ it’s ‘biggest personality.’” He starts walking to the end of the line, still chatting, “What they really mean is someone who chats rubbish the whole time. I’ll go in the middle. Rohan, it’s you, mate!” _A little rude, but okay._

Rohan glares at him, “Me? No way! It’s Tim, for sure,” he turns to Tim.

“Yeah, it’s probably me…” Tim shuffles to the top of the line.

Jake’s still standing uncertainly, the other boys already moving past him to their selected spots.

Levi nudges him, “Go on, Jake. It’s you at the bottom for sure.”

Miles turns to the other guys, “Hey, now. I’m not extra. I should be at the bottom. I’m the least extra person here!” _Not the best argument, love._

“Miles, mate. Listen to yourself,” Levi reasons.

It works, Miles stepping down at filling in behind Mason, mumbling, “Fine, fine.”

Jake fills in at the bottom as Daisy grabs a sash with ‘Biggest Personality’ printed across it, strutting towards the boys with a small smile, “And actually, we gave the award to… Tim!” she announces.

He drops into an over dramatic bow in response to the applause that breaks out, Daisy drops the sash over him and stepping back after, rejoining the girls.

“Big T! Big T! Big T!” Tim chants.

“Wow, really owning the sash there,” I hear Daisy joke to someone.

Cherry covers up whatever comes next, “And down at the other end, we said it was… Jake!” she beams at him.

He blushes a bit, a soft, “That seems fair,” coming from him.

“That’s what we thought too,” Mason announces proudly. _We can see that._

Cherry doesn’t seem to mind his pointless boasting, “We had it between Jake and Levi, to be fair. Jake has this quiet but cheeky streak to him. Levi’s more solid and dependable.”

“So which is more attractive?” Mason asks. _Wow, jumping right in._

“Hey, we’re both standing right here!” Levi shouts at no one in particular. _Well now I want them to answer._

“No, let them answer. I’m interested,” Jakes tells him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

“Neither,” Daisy answers, as everyone remains quiet. _Um, what?_

The boys share an unsure look before she continues, “You’re both quiet, and yeah, you’re quite different, but I don’t see a problem with either of you.” _How diplomatic._ I turn my head away and roll my eyes.

Cherry’s joined in by the time I turn back, “For me, you’ve both got the body, so that’s all there,” _Even now?_ “But personality-wise, I tend to go for more extroverted types. No offense to you two, though! I’m sure the quiet-and-intense thing works for other girls.”

The boys share another look, this time adding a shrug too.

“Oh, that’s me!” Erikah calls, her phone held before her, “‘The next category is ‘fittest body.’ Boys, you know what to do. #sunsoutgunsout’” she reads.

“All right, stand back boys. I’ve got this one in the bag,” Mason says, flexing his arms as he passes the others to the top. _Uh oh._

Levi and Jake share another look before following Mason, letting him take the top spot reluctantly.

“I guess it’s between me and you at the end of the line then, Tim,” Rohan says, already filing past Miles who’s not about to budge. _And he shouldn’t._

“Aw, there’s no shame in coming last next to these lads, mate,” Tim claps him on the shoulder before pushing him to the bottom. 

It’s Talia’s turn to pass out the sash that says ‘Fittest Body.’ She turns to the boys, a simultaneously puzzled and exasperated expression covering her face, “You’ve got this one wrong, boys.”

She marches up to them, passing Mason who stares at her incredulously, “We chose Jake!” She stands on her tiptoes to sling the sash around his neck.

“What? Are you joking?” Mason yells out.

Jake looks flustered, stuttering a bit before addressing the girls, “Wow, thanks a lot ladies. And it means even more knowing the competition.” He turns to Mason, sticking his hand out between them.

Mason shakes it, but flexes his pecs quite a bit as he does.

“But I’m afraid you haven’t all got your positions correct. Tim and Rohan, you guys need to switch places,” Erikah winces as she says it.

Tim looks like he can’t believe what he’s just heard, while Rohan laughs, clapping him on the shoulder, “Better you than me, mate.”

“Although, to be fair, it’s more like ‘least good’ in a strong competition. You said so yourself!” Erikah sounds a little desperate to keep Tim from getting upset.

Tim pouts, “Yeah, but I didn’t think I’d come last then.”

“We still love you,” Daisy says with a bemused smile.

“Cheers guys. I guess I’ll have to find another way to impress all you ladies. At least I can keep you laughing. I know that’s what really gets a girl into bed,” he tries to give a flirty smirk but I just hear Daisy laughing.

“Mate, if she’s laughing at you in the bedroom, that’s not a good thing,” Mason calls from down the line.

The group falls into laughter, but I catch Tim just standing there, annoyed, and Daisy only smiling softly.

“Oh, that’s me,” Tim says, pulling his phone out as he does, “‘Girls, it’s your turn. The first category the boys rated you on was ‘best dressed.’ Please arrange yourself according to how you think they voted. #dressedtoimpress’”

“Best dressed? That’s got to be Jen, surely,” Erikah immediately declares. _Speak for yourself._

“Thanks, hun. What do you think, Daisy?” Jen turns to her.

She shrugs, “I’m sure Erikah’s right, I’m not sure about me, though.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure either,” I mumble, shoving past her to second place, hoping I’ve egged her on a bit. _Make up your damn mind._

When I turn back she’s still unbothered, her expression still as she stays in the middle of the line-up.

Cherry’s next to me, Talia’s past Daisy, and Erikah’s taking up the rear of the line.

“OK, everyone ready?” Tim shouts to us.

A few ‘yes’s are shouted back.

“The winner of ‘Best Dressed’ is... Jen!” he calls, bounding up to her, sash in hand.

“No surprises there,” I mutter under my breath.

Tim drops the sash over Jen’s neck and kisses her cheek, to just about everyone’s surprise.

Jen’s blushing a bit as Jake continues the challenge, “OK, and finally… It’s my honor to hand out the sashes for the last category, which is ‘Most Dateable.’ Please arrange yourselves in the order you think we chose,” he announces, near verbatim from the text he received.

“Oh gosh, what does that even mean?” Erikah worries.

“I think I’m pretty dateable, although my luck in here hasn’t always held up,” Talia thinks aloud.

“Well, if we’re going by what’s happened in the Villa, then I should be at the top,” I say, already pushing past Jen. _I’ve coupled up with the two hottest guys and beat the others in… ‘chemistry.’_

The other girls shove past each other, filling in open spots. 

Daisy’s at the bottom but she doesn’t look bothered about it.

“Well, if you’re ready, the award for most dateable goes to... Daisy!” he announces to us, turning to her and draping the sash over her as she gives him a soft smile.

I glare at her, some of the other girls giving congratulations as the boys cheer.

Jake address us again, “I don’t want to interrupt, but not all of you girls are in the right order. Allegra, I’m sorry but you’re not in the right place. Please move to the end of the line,” he tells me. _What?!_

I glare at him and he seems to shrink in his spot.

“WHAT?!” I vocalise it this time.

“Oh god, she’s gonna kick off!” Tim shouts and I turn my glare on him.

“Honey, I’m sorry. They overruled me,” Miles looks at me sympathetically, and that just pisses me off more. _I don’t need sympathy!_

Rohan pipes up, “Listen, Allegra, we still like you a lot. We’re just all very happy that you and Miles are together.” _Uh huh. Sure._

Tim beams at me, “Yeah, so we don’t have to date you.”

“Tim!” Jen yells.

I huff, “I didn’t want to date any of you anyway,” I cross my arms, still glaring at all of the boys. _Their loss._ I smirk to myself. _I put out._

“I’ve got a text!” Daisy shouts, “‘Congratulations to all the winners. Every day this week, one of the girls will take a trip outside the Villa to stock up on treats for everyone else.’” _That’s not half bad._ “‘Daisy, because you won ‘Most Dateable,’ you will go first. You can choose another Islander to go with you. #datesormates #treatsformysweet’”

“Omigod, that’s so cool!” Jen shouts excitedly.

My phone buzzes, “Oh, that’s me,” I pull it out and start reading, “‘Congratulations to all the winners of today’s challenge. You have been rewarded with a cooler full of ice lollies for the Villa. As a consolation, Allegra and Tim will get first pick. #timetocooloff’”

“Well, that’s better than nothing, I suppose,” I frown for a second before strutting over to the cooler, giving the boys a show of what they’re missing out on.

I pick out a strawberry lolly and strut off the lawn, headed to the kitchen.

I sit down at the counter, watching the others pick out lollies and spread across the lawn.

Miles joins me at the counter, offering more apologies about the challenge.

“It’s fine. It’s the other boys that messed up,” I tell him, and he seems to accept that.

I finish off my lolly and toss the stick in the trash bin before leaning against the counter to watch Miles slowly finish his.

When he finally does, we leave the kitchen, walking out to the lawn and finding Jen on a lounger.

I drop down on the lounger beside her, turning to share a couple greetings as she sits up.

“Congrats on the sash,” I tell her, taking in the sash still draped across her upper body.

She beams at me, “Thanks, babes! And those boys were so wrong about you!” she frowns.

I give her a small smile, “Definitely.”

She smiles and drops back onto her lounger. I follow her lead, turning onto my back and enjoying the sun while chatting with Miles and Jen.

“So how do you guys think tonight’s going to go?” Miles asks.

“Ooh,” I coo. _This’ll be fun._

“Well you and Allegra are obvious,” Jen starts. _Damn right._ “And I think Cherry and Mason are solid.” _Meh._ “Erikah and Rohan, too.” _I don’t trust Erikah, but whatever._

After a beat she softly says, “Levi better pick me.” She sounds frustrated and worried. 

“He’d be an idiot not to,” I tell her. _Full truth. Jen’s better with Levi than Daisy any day. Daisy’s… Daisy, I guess._

“Yeah, you’re a right catch,” Miles joins in.

Jen’s spirits have lifted, if only a little, “Thanks guys,” she smiles. “So what about Tim and Jake?”

“Jake’ll probably pick whoever’s not got a good couple,” I say, “Unless someone’s made a deal with him or something.”

Miles adds, “Yeah, he’s a proper bloke, but I doubt he’d be above it.”

“So it’s just down to Big T? Who’s it between? Talia and Daisy?” Jen asks the sky.

“Or if he goes first he might pick someone else,” Miles reasons.

I turn to him, “Who would that be?”

He just shrugs, “He seems to be into Cherry. And he took you on that date, Jen,” he looks past me at Jen’s relaxed form.

At the mention of her date, she sits up and turns to face us, “You really think he’d pick me from that date?”

“Maybe?” Miles answers as Daisy draws nearer.

She sits down on the lounger on Jen’s other side and I pounce, not giving her the chance to initiate some random chatter, “Oh, Daisy! You’re here. Perfect." _Okay, lie._ "We’ve been meaning to ask.” _I’ll just continue the guessing._ “You and Big T are mates, right? Who’s he going to pick at the recoupling?” I turn to face her, elbows on my knees as I lean forward.

Her eyebrow dips a bit, suspicion in her gaze, “Well, I don’t want to spread gossip,” she answers slowly.

“We’ll all know by this evening anyway. And don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone until then,” Miles says cheerily.

She looks at him for a moment before responding, “Well, he’s with Talia now, right?” she says.

I frown at her. _Can you give us anything? Ever?_ “Yeah, but I don’t think those two are right for each other, like, at all. And they both know it. He didn’t take her out the other night,” I challenge.

She meets my gaze and my tone, “Well, you didn’t ask me if I think they’re a good couple. You just asked me who I thought he’d pick.” _Ugh. Loopholes._ “Nobody else comes to mind. He hasn’t really got anywhere with anyone else,” she finishes confidently.

I catch Jen’s slight frown. _What’s she upset about?_

I’m sure Daisy’s noticed too, because she changes the subject, “Why all the questions, anyway?”

Miles responds quickly, “We’re trying to work out who’s going to pick who! Duh!”

“There’s a recoupling this evening. Everyone’s making secret deals,” I tell her, only a little accusatory.

She frowns at me a bit, “Are they? It doesn’t seem that way to me,” she crosses her arms and leans back a bit.

“You’re just not seeing it, babe! Me and Miles are the only solid couple at this point.” _Half truth._

“You’re right about that,” Miles is smirking when I turn to him.

I ignore it for the moment, “Everything can still change!” I shout out.

“I guess…” Daisy mutters under her breath.

I look at her before turning to Jen, who seems uneasy.

I turn back to Daisy, “So, any idea who’s going to pick you?” I ask, hoping it’ll calm Jen if she says someone other than Levi.

She just shrugs, face still as she stares back at me.

I glare at her a bit, “I guess I’ll have to find someone else to get my gossip on with,” I scoot back on my lounger, “But don’t blame me if things don’t work out how you wanted because you didn’t plan properly. Success like this takes hard work, you know,” I try to sound menacing or something, giving her a wary look.

She doesn’t react, her face blank as ever. _Ugh! Do something!_

A lightbulb goes off in my head and I turn to Miles, biting my lip, “Babes, I’m all tense. Can you give me a back rub?”

His eyes light up and I can hear Daisy and Jen scuffling away as he moves to my lounger.

He starts kneading my shoulders, his hands sliding across my back before he starts rubbing my lower back, his hands gradually moving farther down.

I turn around dropping onto my back and looking up at him, “Thanks, babes. You’re an angel.”

He looks confused, but doesn’t protest, moving back to his original lounger and laying back to sunbathe, too.

I spend a short while longer in the sun before deciding it’s too much.

I stand up off the lounger, Miles sitting up in response, “Where are you going off to?”

“Kitchen. I’m hungry.” I walk off before he can respond, making a beeline for the Villa’s kitchen.

I stop at the fridge, opening it and searching for a moment before pulling out some yoghurt and berries.

I drop down at the counter for the third time today to enjoy my treats.

A few of the other Islanders filter in and out of the kitchen, Jen beaming at me as she walks inside with Levi, Talia filling up her water bottle and sharing a few words with me, Daisy pausing when she sees my yoghurt, grabbing one from the fridge before dashing outside.

I’m finishing off the raspberries I snagged when she returns, dropping her yoghurt container in the bin and strutting back out to the lawn. _That was fast._

Rohan’s shouts from across the Villa echo through the kitchen, “Text!”

I run over with the others, stopping at the bean bags and waiting for him to start reading it out.

He scans over the message before turning to us and beaming, “Recoupling time!” he shouts excitedly, hopping up off his bean bag and running inside.

We all start to follow, excited and nervous chatter spilling through the group.

I rush ahead, reaching the dressing room before anyone else and grabbing my outfit for the night, slipping into the bathroom to change ahead of the others.

I leave the bathroom in a tight polka-dotted jumpsuit, adding heeled boots and a choker in the dressing room.

I’m brushing and curling my hair when Erikah sighs, dropping her handful of jewelry on the counter in front of her, “Can I borrow a necklace from someone tonight?” she asks.

Daisy doesn’t even say anything, just drops a jewelry box on the counter.

Erikah looks at her oddly before rummaging through it, pulling out and trying a few different necklaces. She eventually settles on a chain necklace with a small, pale blue diamond on it, “Can I borrow this one?”

Daisy looks over for the first time and her eyes open wide. She immediately reaches out to grab the necklace, her arm slowing when she realises what she’s doing, “Er - sorry, not that one.”

Erikah frowns but lets her take hold of it. Daisy pulls it back, slipping it under the table, probably in the bag she keeps underneath her spot. _What the hell was that about?_

Erikah picks another necklace, a little silver and blue swirled gemstone weighing the chain down.

I finish first, standing up and waiting a beat before Talia joins me, Erikah hurrying through the last of her make-up routine and jumping up, too.

The three of us walk to the fire pit where a few of the boys are waiting, sitting down as a few of the others join us.

Jake gets a text that tells us to start getting ready, so the girls and I move to stand around the fire pit, Daisy and Jen missing from the line-up.

They step outside and hurry to join us, Daisy sliding in by Talia in a stain black dress with uh, quite a bit of cleavage. _Bit much for a recoupling._

I turn to Jen, who’s joined me at the end of the line. She looks nervous, so I offer a ‘good luck’ and receive a small smile in return.

I turn back to the boys, my eyes landing on Miles, who’s smirking at me. He pulls out his phone, clearing his throat and drawing the Islanders’ eyes, “Okay, here we go… ‘The order for the recoupling will be: Miles, Levi, Mason, Rohan, Tim, Jake.’”

He stands up, eyes on me, “I guess I’ll kick things off then. I’m choosing this person because in the time that we’ve been together, I feel like we’ve become the strongest couple in the Villa.” _Mmhmm._ “I find her unbelievably attractive, I’ve never been with someone who turns me on as much...” _Okay, ew._

“Gross, dude,” Jake says from behind him, but Miles doesn’t acknowledge him.

“So I’ve got to say, to me she’s the most dateable girl here. The girl I want to couple up with is Allegra,” he beams at me.

I bound over to him and he leans down, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me deeply. I play it up, pressing into him for a moment before pulling away and saying loudly, “Babe, you’re so sweet.”

He grins, taking my hand and nudging me to the bench. I drop down beside him and he wraps an arm around me. I lean in when I catch Daisy looking around the fire pit.

Levi stands next and starts in on his speech, “OK, so, I feel like I’ve been waiting a long time to have a chance to say this. The person I want to couple up with tonight has been a really strong presence in the Villa since day one, and I’ve had an amazing time getting to know her. In the last few days, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I really want…” _This isn’t going to go well, is it?_ “But I wasn’t sure until today, when this girl showed me I was making the right decision. The person I want to couple up with is… Daisy,” he finishes, and the whole fire pit goes quiet.

Daisy doesn’t look surprised, but she does look guilty when she glances at Jen, whose head has dropped and arms have crossed over her chest.

Daisy walks over to her, trying to catch her gaze, but Jen’s head stays down as she murmurs something to Daisy, who seems to give up, walking over to Levi and sitting down with him, his arm finding its way around her shoulders.

Mason stands next, calling Cherry fit and saying she has good banter, finishing by, predictably, coupling up with her.

Cherry smiles, walking over to him and receiving a kiss before they start posing. _Just sit down._

They eventually do, Rohan popping up next, coupling up with Erikah again, to her obvious delight.

I’ve stopped paying attention to the two, Miles pulling me closer and running circles along my side with his fingers.

Tim stands up after an odd interaction between Erikah and Daisy, upsetting Talia before calling her fit and picking her. _Great speech, mate._

Jen’s left standing alone, Daisy calling out to her uneasily, “We still think you’re fab, babes.”

Jen gives a broken smile as Jake stands, “OK, well it looks like it’s my turn,” he smiles to Jen, “Now obviously I don’t have much choice right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m not happy about it. This girl is a really strong member of the group, who we all really like. Things haven’t quite worked out for her tonight, but I know we all want them to in the future.” _Aw, that’s actually really sweet._ “So I’m really pleased to couple up with this girl as friends, and I’ll happily step aside when the time comes.”

“Come on, mate, the suspense is killing me,” Tim chimes.

Jake looks over at him, “OK. The girl I want to couple up with is Jen!” Jake calls over to her.

She gives him a grin as she walks over, quickly becoming engulfed in Jake’s large frame as they embrace.

As they walk back to the fire pit’s bench, Miles presses kisses to the side of my neck, trailing up to my jaw, his hand on my side gripping tighter and his other hand finding my thigh.

I stop paying attention to the others as they split off, letting Miles carry on planting small kisses and holding me until everyone’s left, “Hey, I’m hungry, babes,” I murmur. _Half truth._

His mouth moves from my skin, his hands staying put, “Finish this later?” he asks against my neck.

“Maybe. I’m tired,” I answer, already starting to separate myself from him, pulling my legs that ended up across his lap onto the ground.

I stand up, his hand finding its way into mine, and tug him up beside me.

He presses one more kiss on me, to my lips this time, before I break it off, pulling him along to the Villa’s kitchen, where veggie sticks, tapas, humus, ice cream, and other snacks are spread across the countertop.

I grab some veggie sticks and dip, finding my way to a wall and leaning against it while watching the others grab snacks and chat.

Jen enters the kitchen, finding me as she does and joining me by the wall, her expression grim as she stops beside me.

“You going to be okay, hun?” I ask as gently as I can.

She just nods, stealing some snacks from my offered plate, staying put when I refill it to share more with her.

Miles sidles up to us after a bit, seemingly bored of his conversation with Jake and Rohan.

We chat some, Jen staying pretty quiet as we share nibbles, Islanders drifting inside as the night wears on.

“Hey, let’s head in,” I offer to a downtrodden Jen.

She nods before scanning the kitchen, giving a ‘goodnight’ before walking over to talk with Jake.

I turn to Miles, “Let’s get ready for bed, babe,” I tell him, dropping my plate in the bin as we walk further into the Villa.

I stop in the dressing room, wiping off my make-up and pulling my hair up before changing into comfy pyjamas in the bathroom.

I walk into the bedroom, Miles already curled up in bed, the other Islanders in varying states of undress and awakeness.

I slide in beside Miles, his arms wrapping around me, my back being pulled to his chest, his lips pressing to my neck a few more times before his head nuzzles behind me, his breathing slowing as I watch the other Islanders settle for the night.

Daisy’s the last to enter the room, slipping in beside Levi with a slight smile. _Ugh. Of course she’s happy while Jen’s miserable._

My thoughts still as she pulls her hair back, laying down and falling out of my line of sight. _And over Levi of all people. Even Daisy deserves better than him._

I toss and turn a bit, Daisy’s smile and Jen’s misery warring within my mind, until at some point I fall asleep, my mind stilling most of the night, a few bumps in the dark breaking through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter's about to change things up for Allegra and the rest of the Villa ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that was okay! I'm still working things out, but for now I think I've got a decent handle on how this is going to go. The plan is to follow the game for about 9 chapters, then have 3 more that cover past the finale and reunion. If this goes well I will hopefully post this and other queer fics somewhat consistently. Finally, I'd just like to add that I'll take any and all suggestions, and thanks so much for reading!


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